Silent Prayer
by nearlawlet
Summary: Hamuko Kirisaki has become detached from the world after losing everything. It is now 2011, fate brought her to Inaba where she meets with a group of Persona users and reunites with the love of her life. Will they be able to work together solving the mystery waiting on their journey? Will she be able to regains her connection to the world? A P4G story with new twists.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

Tatsumi Port Island

 **Kirijo Group Building – Mitsuru Kirijo's Office**  
 **April 8** **th** **2011, 8.56 PM**

Droplets of water are beginning to flow on the window surface as the rain starts falling from the night sky. Despite this, Mitsuru was busy filling out the paper works on her desk. Organizing a major company such as the Kirijo Group is by no means an easy task, yet she managed to handle the corporation for the past year with outstanding performance. It is only a matter of time before the Kirijo Group is firmly secured under her command.

A sudden knocking on the door interrupts the steady pacing Mitsuru had maintained for the last few hours.

"Who is it?" Mitsuru asked.

"It's me, young Mistress. May I please come in?" Said the voice from beyond the door.

After being granted permission, the door opened to an elegant lady with dark purple hair. She is Kikuno Saikawa; her personal maid, childhood friend and trusted companion.

"Young mistress, the night has already fallen. Forgive me if I sound impertinent, but I believe you should go home and rest for tonight."

Mitsuru smiled at her friend. Even though Kikuno is one of the few people who is permitted to call Mitsuru by her first name and without honorifics, she always treated her with care and respect.

"I'm fine, Kikuno. There are only few works to be done left, and I intend to finish it before tomorrow morning."

"In that case, I asked that you allow me to assist you with these matters."

Despite being in the presence of a renowned leader in the business world, Kikuno is able to maintain her position and calm demeanor. A worthy friend indeed.

"Kikuno, I'm very grateful for your offer," Mitsuru looked at her attendant "but I wish to do it by myself. Not because I don't want to rely on you, but because it is my responsibility."

Hearing her reply, Kikuno could only give slightly sad expression to her mistress.

"Are you perhaps still feeling guilty over your friend's passing?" Kikuno asked.

"Perhaps... Kikuno, do you think I could ever atone for the sin of my family? For everything we have brought upon ourselves?"

"I'm afraid I have no rights to decide whether one sin should be forgiven or not," The young maid replied "But I believe doing everything you can to prevent the same mistake is better than lamenting the past we can't change."

"You're right…" Mitsuru sighed to herself "I suppose I still have much to do…"

Kikuno pulled out a blanket from the drawer in the office, before putting it on Mitsuru

"Speaking of which…" said Kikuno to her mistress "I have received new information from our department in Hokkaido, No.2 has just finished her task and is currently on her way returning here."

"I see… I'm glad to hear she's safe. What about the other?" Mitsuru asked.

"No. 4 has yet to give any new report of possible Shadow outbreak, but he had found several potential recruits. I have already finished my investigation on their background should you wish to check them" said Kikuno as she gives Mitsuru her report on the new recruits background check. "No. 5 is currently prepping the assault team to liberate one of our Shadow infested laboratory in Kyoto. They should be able to clear the facility before the week ends."

Hearing not only her friends are doing fine, but also their operations so far have been major successes, Mitsuru can't help but feel relieved.

Just after she had grasped full control of her company, Mitsuru had formed another secret special branch called the Shadow Operatives. On public, this group is known as a new department from Kirijo Group specializing in private security and threat countermeasures. In secret, however, Shadow Operatives was formed in order to combat the ever growing threat of Shadow around the country. The group itself, while new, has achieved several accomplishments which earned them permission from the Prime Minister to cooperate together with the police department. The Shadow Operatives are led by its founding members, ranked where the lower number has higher authority than the other. Nonetheless to say, Mitsuru herself is ranked No. 1, being its creator and supreme leader.

No. 5, Aigis is the last of Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon android and was also part of Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad or SEES for short during their high school year. Aigis handled most of the field operations while also responsible for training their new recruits. Despite not being human, Aigis is a persona user and a precious companion of her.

No. 4, Akihiko Sanada is another dear friend of Mitsuru since middle school and a police officer stationed in Tokyo, Japan's most populated areas, where he is responsible to gather information for possible Shadow activity as well as recruiting new potential members. He is also part of SEES throughout their high school years.

No. 3, Kikuno Saikawa is vital in providing tactical support for Aigis' operations while also helping both Akihiko and Mitsuru on dealing with the paper works and technical problems that might arise with circumstances. Despite not being persona user, Kikuno is trusted by Mitsuru to handle large part of the group activities.

Mitsuru bit her lips.

No. 2, Hamuko Kirisaki is the special operative of the department. She was both the field leader and second-in-command of SEES. Having the highest authority next to Mitsuru herself, she is allowed to conducts investigations and missions wherever they are. Unlike the other operatives, Hamuko is acting alone thus making it easier for her to do covert operation.

Ever since the incident in Port Island 2 years ago, Mitsuru blames herself and her family over the tragedy they had caused. The creation of the Dark Hour, a hidden time in midnight where only a handful of people were active and Tartarus, a skyscraping tower full of Shadows. The two phenomenon had nearly brought about the end of the world if it weren't due to efforts of SEES in their long year of fighting.

They had won the battle, but not without losing what precious to them.

Mitsuru's father was killed when the SEES advisor Shuji Ikutsuki betrayed them. Shinjiro Aragaki, a personal friend of her and Akihiko, also died protecting one of their young SEES member Ken Amada from a group of rogue Persona user called Strega. Another friend lost his life at the peak of their battle. The love of Hamuko's life. Minato Arisato.

 _I'm sorry Hamuko…I wish you could meet with him again one day…_


	2. End of Nightmare

**Location : Unknown**  
 **Time : ?**

Darkness. Pitch black darkness.

For a long while, there was nothing around him. After that, he begin hearing the faint sound of his own breathing. Louder… Louder… Until he can feel the air filled his lungs with each breath he takes.

Then there is light… He can feel its radiance reflected in his eyes. Brighter… Brighter… As the darkness around him slowly dissipating.

Each passing moments filled him with life, as he feel the sensation of someone waking him from his slumber.

* * *

"Hey! Hey! Wake up!"

When he opened his eyes, he can see three figures around him; A teenage boy with brown hair with his headphone hanging around the collar of his shirt. The one standing beside him is a boy of same age with matching silver eyes and hair. Behind them is a stuffed animal similar to a bear wearing red and white jumpsuit-like clothing. They are all in a place similar to a movie studio, surrounded by thick fogs.

"What are you doing in a creepy place like this?" asked the brown haired boy.

He opened his mouth trying to answer his question, but no voice can be heard. Instead, he just shook off his head.

"You don't know remember anything?"

He turned to look at the grey haired boy before nodding in response.

"It seems he's having significant stress to both his physique and mental. At any rate, we should get out of here soon. It's not safe"

"Whoa, hey wait a sec, bro! What if he's the one throwing that announcer and Saki-senpai into this place? We can't just let him off the hook now, can we?" The headphone boy stared at him coldly for a moment before gazing at his friend.

"If this world is truly what killed them, the culprit won't hide himself in a dangerous place like this. Not when the cops still have no idea"

The headphone boy opened his mouth trying to argue with him, but instead sighing to himself in defeat.

"Teddie, could you make us another exit just like yesterday?"

The mascot bear, in return, nodded happily to the grey haired man.

"Don't worry, Sensei! I got it bear-y prepared!"

Three medium and old looking TVs suddenly dropped from the sky.

"Shoo! Shoo! Now off you go!" said the bear before pushing them all into the cramped screen.

* * *

 **Junes Electronic Store  
04/15 Fri  
After School**

The sensation of falling uncontrollably abruptly ends as he lands on his feet while being supported by the two boys. They had arrived in what appears to be moderately-sized electronic store. In front of them was a girl in green jacket who seemed like she had cried for hours.

"You guys are jerk… I hate you!" she yelled at them before running out of the place.

"Ah geez, I totally forgot about Chie. Guess we have to apologize tomorrow…" said the hearphone boy.

"Yes, we should… For now, we need to take care of him first. Any idea who he is, Yosuke?"

The boy called Yosuke shook his head.

"No, bro... I've been in this town for a while now, I would have noticed that blue hair if I ever met him before. I don't know who he is, but I can say for sure he's not from Inaba".

"Then we need to find a place for him to stay… I can't have him stay at my house, my uncle would ask too many questions and my cousin is tense enough with me alone". The grey haired boy sighed to himself

"Oh yeah, I remembered Chie talked about your uncle yesterday. Well… I guess I could shelter him in my house for a while, we got unused guest room there..."

"Thanks Yosuke, I really appreciate it"

"No need bro, you really saved me back then. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be dead right now".

Yosuke's friend only gives him a smile in response.

"It's getting late, I should get home soon. Let's meet again tomorrow".

"Yeah, see you later, Yu".

Yu begin running back to his home, leaving the blue haired boy and Yosuke inside the store. Yosuke then helped him walk out of the store, past the food court and into a small house located next to the department store.

"I don't know if you're a victim, or the culprit…"

Yosuke suddenly spoke as drizzle begin to fall around them.

"What happened to those two… I won't let it happen to anyone else ever again. If you are indeed a victim, then I expect you will answer all our questions truthfully… However, if you are the culprit…"

He can feel Yosuke clenched his fist.

"Then we will make you pay dearly for your crimes..."

Even though he doesn't really understand the meaning behind Yosuke's words, he could feel the anguish tormenting him. The blue haired boy nodded his head.

And whether it's from the drizzle or Yosuke's tear, he could see a drop of water flowing on his cheek.

* * *

 **Yasogami High School  
04/16 Sat  
Early Morning**

"Uh… Hey Chie, sorry about-"

Before Yosuke apologizes to her, the panicked Chie approach him and Yu when she saw them in the class first thing in the morning.

"Have you two seen Yukiko? She won't lift her phone no matter how many times I tried to call her…" asked Chie while frantically moving around

"I met her yesterday on my way home from Junes, I haven't seen her again since then." Yu replied.

"She's probably just late or something. You're worrying too much, Chie" Said Yosuke.

"Idiot! I have NEVER seen Yukiko being late for school!" she answered before dialing the number on her phone again.

"Wait, could it be Yukiko is being thrown into that place?"

Hearing Yosuke's ominous words, Chie becomes more panicked than before.

"Please, Yukiko… Ans—"

Both Yu and Yosuke could listen to her phone as the receiver answered the call.

"Oh Thank God! Yukiko, is that you? … I see, so that's why you're not here… Do you want me to come over there after school? … OK I'll call you again, later!"

Seeing the relieved expression on Chie, Yu and Yosuke can't help but smile as well.

"Yukiko said there is a large number of visitors coming to their inn last night, so she need to stay and help her mother" Chie explained to them. "What the hell, Yosuke?! What do you mean by her being thrown into that place?!"

"A-Ah, well, you see…"

* * *

 **Junes Food Court  
04/16 Sat  
After School**

When the school had finished, the three of them moved to Junes to avoid others from eavesdropping their conversation.

"So that's why you guys think whoever get thrown inside the TV will be killed…" Chie murmured to herself. "Speaking of which, who was that handsome dude you guys brought yesterday?"

"To be honest, we don't know for sure… We found him lying unconscious in that place, so we took him back with us. We don't even know if he's actually a victim or the culprit." Yu explained to her.

"Yeah, I spent hours last night trying to get him answer my question… Shouldn't have tried…" Said Yosuke while yawning.

"What do you mean?"

"The guy can't talk at all" said Yosuke "He could only answer my question by nodding or shrugging. I did heard someone said severe trauma may cause that but—"

"Just tell us what you know already!" Chie lashed her impatience at him.

"Okay, okay! Basically, he doesn't remember how he ended up in that place. He doesn't even know his own name. If the word 'mystery' is made for someone, it's for this guy".

"That's going to be difficult…" Yu murmured to himself "I'll try asking my uncle about that, but what are we going to do if we can't find anything about him or his relatives?"

"Eh, I'll just have him working full time at Junes. The ladies in our store won't stop talking about how handsome that guy is, so I'm thinking we could use him to attract female customers. Of course, not as attractive as me, but—"

"Yeah, those tiny biceps of yours is a real lady-killer, alright" Chie said while rolling her eyes.

"Says the lady who only eats meat every day. At this rate, you're gonna get fa—"

*Crack*

* * *

 **Dojima Private Residence  
04/16 Sat  
Evening**

"Uncle, will you be at the police station tomorrow?" Yu asked his uncle when they're drinking coffee together at the dining table. Nanako is there with them as she watches Junes commercial on TV.

"Hm? Well, I'll be investigating around the shopping district again with Adachi at noon, but I should be free in the morning. Why do you ask?"

"One of my friend and I found a teenage boy in our age unconscious near the river bank yesterday" Yu explained carefully as to not reveal the existence of the TV world. "He doesn't seem to remember anything before we found him, even his own name. We don't think he's from Inaba, since my friend is pretty sure he had never seen him before."

Dojima put his cup down slowly at the table.

"A mysterious stranger in this town right the worst possible timing…" he said before staring intently at Yu. "If you ask me, his story sound very convenient. You're not involved in anything dangerous, are you?"

Yu sweated a little at the accusation thrown by his uncle. But he still managed to answer his question without being suspicious.

"No, of course not. We just met him yesterday. But we can't get anything out of him either since he seems to has muteness. Right now, he's staying with my friend. We were wondering if you might found something about the teenager."

Dojima keep staring at Yu as he listened to the story, looking for the slightest hint of lie. He doesn't detect any doubt in Yu's eyes, but he can't shake his gut feeling that his nephew is hiding something.

 _This is wrong…_ Dojima thought to himself. _I shouldn't accuse my own family_ …

"…All right, I believe you. Get your friend to bring him to the station tomorrow morning. If he's truly a victim, we will do what we can to get him home.

"Thanks, uncle"

* * *

*bzzzt* *bzzzt*

Yu picked up his phone and lifted it to his ear, not bothering to look at the screen to figure out who had called.

"It's me"

"Yu, thank goodness you're still awake" Yosuke voice can be heard over the phone. "Listen, Chie called me just now. Yukiko is missing since this afternoon and her family can't find her anywhere until now."

Yu clenched his fist.

He and Yosuke had been prepared to catch the culprit, but they never guessed he would act this soon just a couple days after the second murder.

"Alright, calm down. We will ask Teddie first if he notice Yukiko had been thrown—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the TV on his room suddenly turn on by itself, showing a slightly blurry but vivid image of a castle.

Yukiko then appeared in a pink gown similar to a princess would wear while holding a microphone in her hands.

"Hello there! My name is Yukiko Amagi and I'm gonna score myself a hot stud!"

Yu can guess Yosuke is seeing the same thing he is now, since he barely heard his voice on the phone.

"My, it's embarrassing to say it out loud, but I won't stop here! It's time for Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Her Prince Charming! Well then, here I go!"

After saying that, Yukiko runs inside the portal leading to the castle. The TV then turned off by itself.

"Never mind…" Yu sweat drops. "Yukiko is definitely inside the TV world"

"Dude, what the hell was that?! It's like we're watching a poorly made and cheap TV program!"

"I know… More importantly, does that guy still living with you?"

"Yeah, I just checked his room a while ago and he's already asleep. Have you talked with your uncle yet?" asked Yosuke.

"Yeah, make sure you bring him to the station tomorrow morning. My uncle will investigate whatever he can from him. Also, tell Chie not to do anything by herself. Last thing we need is her getting stranded in that world"

"Okay partner, let's make sure we're ending this!"

"Yeah, we will" He replied.

* * *

 **Inaba Police Station  
04/17 Sun  
Noon**

"Akihiko, wake up. Finish up your reports, we're going back to central soon"

"Yes, sir!"

Akihiko was busy organizing his report when Detective Kurosawa had caught him nodding off. They have been tasked by the central force to collect any information regarding the mysterious murder case in Inaba.

Normally, the Shadow Operatives will not interfere with a regular murder case. But the Inaba polices can't find any evidence nor deduce the cause of death for the two victims. Detective Kurosawa himself is convinced it wasn't because of their incompetence, since the investigation is led by Detective Dojima, who was known as an outstanding investigator.

Akihiko himself had helped with the police patrolling the area and searching for evidence around the two murders vicinity, thus his reason for lack of sleep.

"Your friend is really something"

He turned to look at Detective Dojima speaking intensely to a young teenager with grey hair. What were they talking about?

"We tried looking for any match to his fingerprints, face recognition system, dental record, everything. None of them have any result. Our lie detector does not detect anything strange from him, so we can assume he's being honest with us."

"So we still don't know anything about him?" Another boy with brown hair wearing white jacket asked him.

"Unfortunately, no. I can't declare him innocent because of his circumstance, but for now he may return with you. However, I expect him to heed our call if there is any future investigation. Officer Sanada!"

Upon hearing his name being called, Akihiko swiftly approach the detective.

"Yes, sir!"

"Please accompany them while they pick up their friend in the interrogation room. I'm going to go out with Adachi for a while" said Dojima as he hands him the key to the interrogation room.

"Understood, be careful out there Dojima-san"

"Heh, I always do" Dojima smirked before leaving them.

"How do you guys know him?" Akihiko asked the grey haired boy while they followed him deeper inside the building.

"He's my uncle, I'm currently staying with him for the year"

"So that's why you can stay so calm while facing him directly… Did you guys know he has intimidated a thief to confessing his own crime with just his presence?" Akihiko said half-jokingly when he remembered the event.

"Err no, but I guess it's just another good reason not to get on his bad side" said Yosuke.

"Relax, if you guys didn't do anything wrong, he won't do anything to you. Here we are…"

He pulled out the key from his pocket before inserting it to the lock.

"Hey, your friends are here to pick you—"

Akihiko suddenly goes silent when he sees the figure sitting on a chair in the room. For a moment he doubted his own eyes, but there is no mistaking those silver eyes and blue hair. His expression is that of a shocked person while his mouth is wide open, uttering the single word that remains in his mind.

"Minato?!"

* * *

A/N : I actually released the second chapter just a day after the prologue is finished, but I'm not satisfied with the slow pacing. Thus, here is the rewritten (and signifcantly longer) version of Chapter 2!

 **Yes, Minato in this story is mute, he can't speak at all.**

And no, it wasn't just for the cliché.

It is vital for my story plot, and I want to emphasize his growth as a character through his action more than his words. After all, like Margaret said:

 **"A single action is worth more than a thousand words"**


	3. Red-Eyed Maiden

**Hamuko's Apartment  
04/18 Mon  
Early Morning**

Hamuko awakened to the sound of her cellphone ringing on her desk. Opening her eyes, she looked outside the window, noticing the faint ray of light as the dawn is nearly approaching. She moved off from her bed before walking to pick up her phone. There is no missed call, but a notification for a new message can be seen on its screen. It was from Kikuno, Mitsuru's personal attendant.

 _Good morning, Kirisaki-san. Please come to the HQ at your earliest convenience. There is an urgent matter we must discuss with you._

Hamuko frowned. Kikuno was the one who always briefed her whenever anything comes up, but most of the time it was just a mission, and she never used words like 'urgent' before.

 _I wonder why… Better go there as soon as possible…_

 **Shadow Operatives HQ  
04/18 Mon  
Morning**

When Hamuko is about to knock on the door to Mitsuru's office, she can hear the sound of someone arguing from inside the room.

"I told you already, there is no way I would mistake him for someone else!"

 _That voice… Could it be Akihiko-san?_

"Calm down, Akihiko… I do trust you, but we should investigate this further before informing Hamuko"

"She will find out about this sooner or later! It's better to come clean now, otherwise she will think we're hiding things from here!"

"Mitsuru-san, I believe I can identify him properly if you would allow me to head to Inaba"

"No, I need you for our next mission. The theft of Ergo Research cargo is a very serious incident and I prefer to have the matter settled before it escalated further"

 _Him? Inaba? What are they talking about?_

Unable to contain the curiosity, Hamuko knocked on the door twice. The door is opened by Kikuno as she greeted her with a smile.

"Welcome, Kirisaki-san. We have been waiting for you"

When Hamuko entered the room, she could notice Mitsuru, Akihiko and Aigis sitting together on a set of sofas similar to the ones they used to use back in the dorm. She can see Akihiko gritting his teeth while Mitsuru and Aigis maintain their calm demeanor, albeit with a slightly saddened expression.

"Everyone, it's been a while…" Hamuko greeted her companions. "Kikuno-san had informed this morning about the urgent matter you need to discuss. Is it somehow connected to the reason why you were arguing just now?"

Mitsuru sighed before answering her question.

"Unfortunately, yes. We need to tell you something important, but first, why don't you two take a seat?"

Hamuko nodded before sitting at an empty place next to Aigis, while Kikuno also sit next to her.

"First of all, I want you to know that we're not trying to hide anything from you. You, of all people, deserve to know. But please… Promise me you will listen to the whole story before deciding anything"

"…Alright, I promise"

"Thank you. Now, Akihiko, if you would…"

Akihiko nodded before speaking to Hamuko.

"Three days ago, when I was working at the station, we got news of some strange murder cases in Inaba. No cause of death can be determined, and the two victims were found in a very gruesome state; hanged upside down on a telephone pole"

Hamuko clenched her fist. The act of murder itself is atrocious enough, but she can't imagine someone committing it twice while also leaving the victims like that.

"Of course, just by hearing the detail is enough for any of us to suspect another case where the Shadow or a rogue Persona user is involved, so Detective Kurosawa and I volunteered to obtain any Intel while helping the local polices for a couple days. At first, everything is normal. But yesterday morning, something happened…"

Akihiko hesitated for a moment, but Mitsuru urged him to continue.

"A pair of teenagers, one of which is my superior's nephew, brought in a lost male they found to the station. According to what I heard, they have absolutely nothing in record about him. That fact alone is disturbing, but then I saw him…"

Hamuko eyes widened when Akihiko mentions his name.

"It was Minato… He's alive…"

For a few moments, there was nothing but silence in the room.

Then Hamuko stood up.

"Senpai, if this is a joke, I think you have gone too far"

"This isn't a joke, Hamuko!" Akihiko desperately tried to convince her "I really saw him in Inaba! He's—"

"Already dead!" Hamuko suddenly yelled "You saw it all that night! I—"

Before she could speak further, Hamuko felt the sensation of someone embracing her from behind. It was Aigis.

"Hamuko-san… I know this is hard, but please understand… Akihiko-san— No, we would never hurt your feeling…"

Despite what her body is made of, Aigis' hug is warm and comforting. It was brief, but enough to pacify the emotion within her friend. Hamuko gritted her teeth, trying her best to maintain her composure.

"There is another issue…" said Akihiko. "I think Minato has lost all his memories… He doesn't seem to remember me at all… And he has also lost his ability to talk."

"…Why didn't you bring him with you?" she asked.

"He can't" It was Kikuno who answered the question. "Due to his unique circumstance, Arisato-san is currently under suspicion of the Inaba police department and is required to remain in the vicinity for the moment"

"But he would never—"

"We know…" Mitsuru assured her "Nevertheless, we need to send in someone to Inaba for the matter. Unfortunately, we have our hands full with another incident. Yesterday—"

After briefing them with the theft of Ergo Research cargo, Mitsuru turned to Hamuko.

"I won't force you to go to Inaba alone, but it will take some time until any of us can help you. Yukari and the other reserve members will be participating on our mission as well, so they can't go with you either. What do you want to do?"

Hamuko is lamenting on what Mitsuru just said. It's not like she doesn't understand their situation, but she can't afford to wait any longer. Not when there is even a slim chance of reuniting with Minato.

"I will go… I want to see him for myself"

 **Shiroku Store  
04/18 Mon  
After School**

Yu was going to buy supplies for their trip to save Yukiko with his friends when he hears his phone ringing.

"Sorry, can I leave it to you guys for a moment?"

"No problem, Yosuke and I can handle it" said Chie.

Yu then immediately leaves the store, before flipping his phone open and answering the call. It was from Akihiko Sanada, a police officer they met yesterday in the station.

" _Sorry for the sudden call, I just need to tell you something for a bit. Were you busy right now?_ "

"No it's okay, go ahead"

" _Ok, listen. One of my friend and colleague is coming to Inaba, she left a while ago and should arrive there in a few hours. Can you guys meet with her later?"_

"Alright, I'll tell the other as well"

" _Thanks about that. By the way, how is your friend? Were you able to save her?_ "

"Unfortunately no, not yet…" Yu sighed "We still have time to rescue her, but I'd like to do it as soon as possible, so we're going in again today"

Yesterday, after they got out of the police station, Akihiko had questioned Yu and Yosuke about Minato. At first, they were hesitating whether to tell the officer the truth or not. Much to their surprise, Akihiko revealed to them he is also a Persona user. After that, they told him everything they know; about the murder case, the Midnight Channel and how they found Minato including their kidnapped friend whom they assumed is being thrown inside the TV.

" _I see… I already briefed my colleague about your situation. If you need help rescuing your friend, don't hesitate to ask her. She can help you fight the Shadow"_

"About that… Can I ask you a question?"

" _What is it?"_

"Why do you want to help us so much even though we just met yesterday?"

For a few moment, there is nothing but silence on the phone.

"… _I don't want to hide anything, but it is probably better if you personally ask my friend later_ "

Yu didn't feel any lie from him, so he decided to drop the issue.

"I understand, please forgive me for being inconsiderate"

" _No, you deserve to know, and we should be thanking you instead for finding our friend_ " said Akihiko. " _Sorry, I can't speak for long. My friend will call you when she arrive in Inaba, just keep your phone on until then. Thanks again, Narukami_ "

After saying goodbye, Yu closes his phone before keeping it inside his pocket. Yosuke and Chie have just finished shopping as he sees them walking out of the store with a bag full of supplies.

"Sorry for the wait, who was it on the phone just now?" Yosuke asked.

"It was Sanada-san"

"You mean the police officer you guys met yesterday?" Chie asked "You never really told me about him. What did he said?"

"It can wait" Yu smiled "Are you guys ready?"

 **The Midnight Channel  
04/18 Mon  
After School**

The trip from Shiroku Store to the Midnight Channel was an uneventful one, save the constant whining coming from Yosuke and Chie when they landed in the TV world.

"Ugh… I wonder if Teddie can make some pillows appear here as well…" said Chie while rubbing her behind.

"You can say that again…" said Yosuke while doing the exact same thing she did.

"Nope, Teddie can only make TV and glasses"

The sound came from a figure walking toward them in a red and white jumpsuit clothing. It was Teddie.

"Teddie, is Yukiko still on the same place?"

"Yup! I keep watching Yuki-chan castle just like you told me, Sensei!"

"Alright. We'll try to ascend the castle floor as much as we can, but if any of us is severely injured or fatigued, we're retreating immediately. Is that alright with you guys?" Yu asked his companions.

"Why? We don't even know for sure how much time we have until Yukiko—"

"I understand your feeling, but if we're being careless and get ourselves killed, there will be no one left to save her" He assured her.

"I agree with him" Yosuke supported Yu's reasoning "Yu put his life on the line to save me, so I'll believe in whatever his decision to save Yukiko"

Realizing the truth within their words, Chie sighed in defeat.

"Fine… I'll be counting on you guys"

Yu smiled at her answer.

"Good, let's go then"

* * *

Yu, Yosuke and Chie along with Teddie were running throughout the castle corridor, looking for the stair leading to the next floor. There is only a handful of Shadows attacking them in the 1st floor, and all of them are relatively easier to handle compared to yesterday. This is mainly thanks to Teddie who has recorded their weakness and the addition of Chie to their team.

When they reached the 3rd floor, however, newer and more powerful Shadows begin to attack them.

"Watch out, Chie!" Yu shouted, pushing her out of the way as a pair of crows carrying lantern pecked at an empty spot where Chie were standing before.

"Come, Jiraiya!"

Yosuke summoned his Persona to send a blast of sharp wind at the ravens, with no visible effect.

"What the hell?!"

"Careful, Yosuke! Wind attack are useless against them!" Teddie warned him from behind the group.

One of the crows smash its lantern against Yosuke, making him fall to the floor.

"Ugh!" Yosuke grunted at having his arm bruised by the attack.

"Then, how about lightning? Izanagi!"

Bolts of electricity strike the pair, downing the Shadows.

"Now!"

"Here I go! Tomoe!"

The female samurai skewers the Shadows with her naginata, making them evaporate in reddish black substance.

"Man, I'm so embarrassing…" Yosuke sighed while resting on the floor.

"Don't say that, we were able to defeat Chie's Shadow thanks to your Persona" Yu smiled, offering his hand to Yosuke.

"Heh, you always know how to raise my spirit!" said Yosuke while grabbing Yu's hand.

"Hey… Speaking of my Shadow, what will happen if you guys weren't there to stop it?" Chie asked.

Yu and Yosuke, however, does not answer her question. They know Chie was actually asking what will happen if Yukiko had experienced the same thing and they weren't there to help her.

"I… Guess I shouldn't have asked, huh…"

The heavy mood continue to last for a few moment until Teddie started to speak.

"Sensei, we should move again before the Shadows reappear"

"Yeah, Teddie's right. We better keep moving"

The group continued to plow through the Shadows on the 3rd and 4th floors, mowing the weaker Shadows while attempting to evade the stronger Shadows. Chie is more determined than ever to save Yukiko as she fight with the ferocity that matches her more experienced friends.

When they arrived at the 5th floor, Teddie stopped them from opening one of the doors.

"Be careful, I sense her Shadow in here!"

"Are you guys ready?" Yu asked his friend, receiving their nod in return.

He opened the door where they arrived in a slightly larger room. Shadow Yukiko was standing in the middle with what appears to be a majestic knight riding an equally large steed floating above the ground.

"Yukiko!"

"My, aren't you a persistent one?" Shadow Yukiko taunt them with seductive tone in her voice "If you truly are my knights, you should be able to defeat this guard, no? *chuckles*"

After saying that, the princess turned before running away from the group.

"Wait!" Chie yelled while running after the Shadow, but the Knight immediately charges at her direction.

Loud sound of metals clashing against each other filled the room as the attack was blocked by Jiraiya.

"Get a hold of yourself, Chie! We need to defeat this guy first!"

The Knight took advantage of Yosuke's distraction and raises his lance to prepare for another attack. Yu immediately rushes to aid Yosuke, deflecting the lance aimed at him with the sword on his hand. The force of the attack, however, is strong enough to send the two of them flying.

"Get out of my way!" Chie shouted at the Shadow, smashing a card that appeared in front of her.

The summoned Persona slashed at the Knight twice, causing little to no damage as the Knight countered by stabbing Tomoe, making it disappear.

"Ngh… He's tough!" Chie grunted at having received some of the damage dealt to her Persona.

"The Shadow is strong against physical attack, use fire!" said Teddie.

"Damn, none of our persona has fire ability!" Yosuke curses while rubbing his back.

 _This isn't good._ Yu thought to himself. He sees the large Shadow readying itself for a powerful strike. If he doesn't come up with something soon, the Knight will wipe them out.

A voice suddenly rings in his mind. It was faint, almost like a whisper, yet Yu can definitely hear it.

 _Use the power bestowed upon you, call out my name…_

The Avenger Knight charges at his direction, intending to finish him off first. With no other choice, Yu summons another Persona card before crushing it with his hand.

"Eligor!"

The appearance of another Persona surprised not only Yosuke and Chie, but also the Shadow as its charge attack was stopped by the bulky knight. Eligor then ignited his own spear with fire before thrusting it to his target.

The Shadow roared in pain from being stabbed by the flaming spear. Not wasting the chance, Yu ordered his Persona to keep blasting the Shadow with fire.

"Yosuke! Chie!"

His two friends who were still in shock while spectating the sight before them immediately understood his intention, as they responded by summoning their own Persona.

"Jiraiya!"

"Tomoe!"

Both Personas assisted Eligor with their own elemental attack, sending violent gust of wind and hail at their target. Unable to resist the onslaught, the Shadow let out one last roar before succumbing to its wound and disappearing.

Yu, who just exhausted most of his energy, slumped into the floor.

"S-Sensei! Hang in there!"

Teddie immediately rushed to their side.

"I'm fine… Just need to catch my breath…"

"But what did you do?" Yosuke, who recovered first, asked Yu "How can you change your Persona like that?"

Yu hesitated whether he should tell them about the Velvet Room or not, but eventually decided to keep it for now.

"I'm not so sure myself…" Yu lied "I'm just glad we managed to survive…"

"No kidding, we almost died there…" Yosuke sighed.

"Sensei, that girl is not far from here, but I think you should go home for now"

"Teddie is right… We don't know when another strong enemy will appear, we should be prepared if it happens again" Yosuke turned to Chie "Is that okay with you?"

Chie who was being silent all this time finally spokes.

"…I understand… Sorry for rushing like that again…"

It would be suicidal to push themselves too hard and this is the second times her reckless act almost killed them all. She couldn't possibly continue being inconsiderate like this.

Yu, who finally recovered himself, patted her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll get ourselves a reinforcement soon"

 **Junes  
04/18 Mon  
After School**

By the time they returned to the real world, it is nearly 5.00 PM on the clock. Yu asked his friends whether they can spare a bit more time, as they moved to sit in the food court area.

"So, what was it you said? We're going to have a reinforcement?" Yosuke asked.

Before Yu can answer the question, the phone in his pocket suddenly began to rings. The number displayed on the screen is still not registered on his phone book, but Yu can figure out who is calling.

"Hello"

" _Good afternoon, is this Narukami-san speaking?"_

"Yes, it's me"

" _My name is Hamuko Kirisaki, I believe Sanada-san has informed you of my arrival before"_ The person, who Yu identified as a female, replied over the phone. _"I know this is late, but can we meet up right now? I'd like to discuss few things with you"_

"Of course, my friends and I have been waiting for you. Do you want me to fetch you from the station?" Yu asked politely.

" _It's alright, I'll be fine on my own. Can you tell me where you guys are now?"_

Yu gave her a brief but detailed location on Junes. After that, he hung up the phone before turning to Yosuke and Chie.

"Sorry, I haven't told you guys yet" Yu said apologetically "Do you remember when Sanada-san called me earlier? He told me his friend is coming here to Inaba. That was her just now on the phone"

"Her? You mean, it's a girl?" Yosuke asked.

"Hold it, you guys still haven't told me anything about this Sanada-san or what happened yesterday" Chie interrupted them.

"Basically, Sanada-san is a Persona user like us and an acquaintance to Arisato-san, the guy we found in the TV a few days ago" Yu explained to her.

"Does that mean the girl you were talking to on the phone just now is that backup you mentioned?"

"Yeah…" Yu nodded. "Sanada-san told me she would help us rescue Yukiko and solve the murder case"

"Another Persona user like us…" Chie murmured. "I wonder what kind of person she is"

"I guess we'll see. She should be here in any minute now"

"By the way…" Chie turned to the pondering brown-haired kid. "You've been awfully quiet these last few minutes. Aren't you happy we're going to get a girl as a new ally?"

Upon hearing his name, Yosuke raised his head and looked at his two friends.

"Huh? No, I'm glad about it. It's just that… I was thinking about something else…"

"What's on your mind?" Yu asked.

"This is just my opinion, but don't you think the timing is too good?" Yosuke looked at both of them with serious expression. "The culprit is most likely a Persona user like us, so I can't help but feel cautious about this"

Yu was actually pondering over the same thing ever since Akihiko called him this afternoon. Even though he knows Akihiko was being sincere when they talked on the phone, he still doesn't know anything about them.

"Aren't you overthinking things too much?" Chie asked Yosuke. "Sure, she might be the culprit when you say it like that, but it's possible too that she is innocent"

"You may be right…" Yosuke murmured "But still, why would she help us?"

"Because it is my duty" said a certain person.

All of them were surprised by the sudden voice. They looked up to a figure standing behind Yu.

It was a girl around their age. She is wearing a light orange sweater, a red plaid skirt, black leggings, and a pair of red boots while also carrying a red handbag. Her hair is auburn colored and is tied in a high ponytail style, clipped with silver barrettes which form the Roman numeral XXII. She has a pair of glistening red eyes and light pink lips which complemented her beautiful appearance.

"Kirisaki-san, we have been expecting you" Yu welcomed her "I'm Yu Narukami and these are my friends, Yosuke Hanamura and Chie Satonaka"

"Hello, I'm Hamuko Kirisaki. Thank you for having me" Hamuko greeted them.

"Oh wow… She's beautiful…" Chie complements her.

"Why, thank you" Hamuko answered with a smile on her lips.

She took a seat beside Yu and Yosuke before placing her handbag on her laps.

"Sorry, I overheard what you were saying" Hamuko turned to Yosuke. "I understand your concern though, it must have been suspicious for a stranger to suddenly offer her help"

"Kirisaki-san, just now you said because it is your duty. Can you please elaborate on this?" Yu asked her.

"Of course" said Hamuko "It's a long story though, so I'll make it short. Sanada-san and I were parts of a group known as the Shadow Operatives, an organization dedicated to eliminate Shadow threats around the country"

"Wait, what? You mean there are Shadows everywhere?" Yosuke stared at her.

"Yes, normal people can't see them so it's up to us Persona users to deal with it. The Shadow Operatives, led by Mitsuru Kirijo of the Kirijo Group, have been working tirelessly to keep them at bay" She explained.

"I never imagined the Shadows were that large of a threat…" Yosuke sighed.

"Same here, I thought the Shadows were some kind mysterious invaders or something…" Chie added.

"So you guys haven't realized it yet…" Hamuko chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"Personas and Shadows are the same thing. That is why you are able to fight them in the first place" Hamuko's words surprised them.

"Of course, that makes sense. Both Yosuke and Chie's Shadows turn into a Persona after they accepted it" Yu commented.

"But then what about you? You can use your Persona without facing your Shadow, you can even wield more than one of them" said Yosuke.

"Do you know anything about it, Kirisaki-san?" Chie asked.

"…No, this is the first time I hear someone can wield more than one Persona" said Hamuko.

Yu, however, can somewhat sense a faint trace of lie in her words and decided to confront her about it later.

"I see, I guess Yu is a special exception… Well, at least now we know your reason for helping us" said Chie.

"Yes, at least a little part of it…" Hamuko answered. "I'm here to see the person you guys found inside the TV. Sanada-san already told me about it"

"Arisato-san? Why do you want to meet him?" Yosuke inquired her.

"It's a little personal…" Hamuko smiled. "I don't think I'm ready to tell you the reason yet"

Yosuke looked at Yu, as if asking for his opinion on the matter.

"It's fine. Kirisaki-san has answered all our previous questions, it's only fair we granted her this simple request"

"If you say so, leader. Well then, please follow me"

"Thank you so much" Hamuko bowed slightly to thank them.

They followed Yosuke from the food court to the grocery department, where he took them inside the storage room.

"Hey Yosuke, you know you can't just bring people in here. And who's that cute chick you brought with you?" A clerk, most likely a part-timer, asked him.

"Dude, not the time…" Yosuke sighed "Have you seen Arisato-san? She needs to talk to him in private"

"Heh, of course it was Arisato-san. I must be stupid to even think you're going out with her"

"Argh, you're pissing me off! Just get him already!"

"Alright, alright… Geez, you can't take a joke, can you?"

The clerk picked up a few boxes containing dairy products before leaving the storage room.

"Arisato-san has nowhere to go, so I let him stay in my house for the time being" Yosuke explained. "My dad asked me to have him work in our store in return, though, I guess I should apologize for that…"

"It's alright. I'm grateful that you allowed him to stay with you"

For the next few minutes, everyone waited in heavy silence. Chie is leaning against the wall while Yosuke has his arms crossed on his chest and Yu continued to observe Hamuko.

Until the door suddenly opened and the blue-haired boy entered the room.

He is wearing a white shirt and a red pants along with a cream colored apron similar to the ones used by the clerk earlier. He has slim build with average height. His dark blue hair is unkempt, covering most of his right eye.

Overall, he looked just like she always remembered.

"Minato… I…"

Hamuko's word is stuck in her throat. There is no doubt that the one in front of her is Minato. She is happy to see her beloved one is alive and well, but she is also sad because it is apparent Minato does not remember her.

The boy himself looks perplexed when the girl mentioned his name just like a certain police officer did. Even though he couldn't recall ever meeting her, there is an unexplainable feeling of familiarity emanating from her. As if he had known the girl for a long time and thinks of her as someone precious to him.

Unable to bear seeing her depressed, Minato did the only thing that came to his mind, something that no one in that room would expect.

He gently patted her on the head before ruffling her hair.

He has no idea why he does that. He just wanted to cheer her up, and that is the only thing he could think of.

Hamuko, who is shocked by the sudden gesture, complied by holding the hand ruffling her hair and then enveloping it in her own.

"I'm fine now... Thank you…"

The brief yet blissful moment lasted for a while, until the storage room is suddenly opened by the clerk they met before.

"Arisato, are you done yet?! I need you to— Uh, sorry…Did I interrupt something?"

"No, I'm done..." She said before letting him go "Thank you for lending Arisato-san to me for a moment"

Minato looked at her with concerned expression, but Hamuko urges him to go with a smile. He nodded before leaving the room with the clerk.

"…It's getting late. All of you should go home and rest if you wish to save your friend tomorrow"

"Then, you're really going to help us find Yukiko?" Chie asked.

"Amagi-san is an acquaintance of mine as well" said Hamuko. "I will do everything within my power to save her"

 **Shopping District  
04/18 Mon  
After School**

"How is Igor doing?"

Yu and Hamuko is walking through the Shopping District together when she suddenly asked that.

"So you do know him…"

"Of course. After all, I'm your predecessor and a former guest of the Velvet Room" she answered.

"Then why did you lied when my friends asked you back then?"

"It is not something that you should tell to anyone else. Isn't that your own reason for lying to them in the first place?"

Yu was taken aback by her question. Indeed, he also lied to Yosuke and Chie when they asked the same thing before.

"Those of the Fool Arcana are blessed with a unique skill" Hamuko explained. "They can look deep inside people's hearts, but is also able to hide their own thoughts"

"In other words, both of us are natural liars…" Yu murmured

"Exactly…" Hamuko smiled.

Hamuko's explanation reminded him of something Margaret told him before. The heart is shaken more by a single action than a thousand words. Maybe this is why she always urged him to prove his intention with his actions instead of his words.

"Looks like my bus is waiting for me" Hamuko pointed to the large vehicle near the bus stop. "Thanks for today, Narukami-san. It's very kind of you to walk me here"

"Likewise, thank you for your insight, Kirisaki-san… And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for doubting you…"

"It's okay" Hamuko smiled "I'll see you tomorrow, then"

 **Amagi Inn  
04/18 Mon  
** **Evening**

When Hamuko arrived at the Amagi Inn, the sun has completely set on the horizon as the sky is turning dark. She adjusted the red handbag on her shoulder before heading to a certain part of the building.

Finding her way to the receptionist isn't that difficult. After all, she had stayed here before with her Volleyball team back in high school. There aren't that much difference from back then, with the exception of several refurbished furniture.

When she entered the lobby, she couldn't find anyone inside. She pressed the bell tap in the hope of calling the receptionist, to no avail. It's only after a while that a middle aged woman appeared to greet her.

"My apologies to have kept you waiting" The woman bowed to her "Welcome to the Amagi Inn, would you like to reserve a room?"

"Yes please, I'd like to stay here for three days"

"What type of room do you want?"

"Single is fine"

"Alright, 3 nights in a Single Room will cost you a total of 50.000 Yen"

Hamuko took her wallet out of her bag before giving the woman her payment card. The price they offered for that type of room and duration is actually quite reasonable, and Hamuko herself is loaded thanks to her job. But depending on her current case, she might need to consider renting a small house as a cheaper alternative.

"Your payment has been accepted" said the woman while returning her card. "Thank you for choosing us. Please follow me"

Hamuko followed the woman through one of the halls leading to the western part of the building. Despite the two murders that have been happening in Inaba, the inn still has plenty of visitors as seen by the crowded dining hall when they walked past one.

"This is your room" the woman opened one of the slide door to a small but luxurious room. "Do you want to use the dining hall or would you like to have your dinner brought here?"

"It's fine, I'm not hungry"

"I understand, will there be anything else you require?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you"

The woman bowed to her before excusing herself.

Hamuko sighed. She needs to report today's meeting, but she was too tired to even lay out the futon in her room.

Just when she's about to lie down on the tatami to rest for a bit, she could hear her phone ringing from inside her bag. It was from Mitsuru.

"It's me" Hamuko greeted her.

" _Thank goodness, you're okay…It's been hours since you last contacted us. Is everything alright?"_

"Yes, everything is fine. I'm sorry for not contacting you sooner…" said Hamuko. "How about your mission, Senpai? Is it going smoothly?"

" _Fortunately, yes. Right now, everyone is with me at the HQ"_ Mitsuru answered. _"Wait, let me put you on speaker. The others want to talk to you"_

Hamuko can hear Mitsuru placing her phone on a flat surface before tapping the speaker button.

" _Hamu-tan, we heard everything from Mitsuru-Senpai and Akihiko-Senpai! Have you seen him already?!"_

" _Stop it, Stupei! Can you be more considerate to her?"_

" _Ufufu it can't be helped, Yukari-chan, we haven't talked to her in a long time"_

" _That's not fair, I want to talk Hamuko-san too"_

" _Don't worry, we'll meet her as soon as our mission here is done"_

" _Yes, I look forward to seeing you again, Hamuko-san"_

Despite the noise from hearing many people on the phone, Hamuko can identifies each and everyone's voices.

" _As you can hear…"_ It was Mitsuru speaking. _"Everyone is really worried about you. How are things over there?"_

"There is no doubt this homicide case is related to Shadow. Starting tomorrow, I will be cooperating with several local Persona users to apprehend the suspect"

" _Understood, but what I mean is how are you feeling? Have you seen him yet?"_ Mitsuru asked her.

"I'm fine… I've confirmed it was truly him, but right now I prefer to stay focused on my mission"

" _Hamuko… Isn't it time for you to let go of your guilt?"_

"…"

" _Ever since last year, you were always blaming yourself for what happened… To be honest, it pains us to see you like that…"_ This time, it was Yukari speaking.

" _We always wish for your happiness, Hamuko-san… So does Minato-san, that's why he left everything to you"_ said Aigis. _"Please, let us share your burden"_

"…"

"…"

"…I saw Minato this afternoon, the jerk looked just like I always remembered…"

" _I see… What did you said when you met him?"_ Yukari asked.

"Nothing… He doesn't even remember me… And he couldn't even speak, even if I wanted to talk to him…"

" _Hamuko-san…"_

"I wanted to cry, but Minato… He patted my head with his soft hand… Just like he always did to me…"

Hamuko began to sob as the tears start to fall from her eyes, glittering as they flow on her cheeks.

"I-It's not a dream, isn't it?! M-Minato… My Minato… He really did came back, didn't he…?!"

Her sobbing turns to an uncontrollable cry, as Hamuko releases all the emotion she held within her.

" _We're happy for you, Hamuko-san…"_

* * *

 _For where thou art, there is the world itself, and where thou art not, desolation._

 _-William Shakespeare_

* * *

 **A/N:**

Finally done! I must apologize for making you guys wait (nearly a month after the second chapter is released). I don't actually have a PS Vita, so I needed the time to research everything new in P4G.

I was really happy to see many of you enjoyed my story. It really makes feel even more obliged to satisfy all my readers. I'm especially thankful to both Stormy Cloudz and ditobayupraliestiyo for reviewing my story, glad you guys like it.

I forgot to tell you guys in my previous notes, but **I'll be updating this story every 2-4 weeks at Fri/Sat/Sun.** Naturally, longer period means longer story.

At first, I wanted to write this chapter up until Yukiko is rescued, but I hesitated due to these two things: 1) How to make Hamuko and Minato less OP, and 2) The battle scenes and other smaller details.

It is inevitable that Hamuko and Minato will join the team, since this story is mostly about them. But I have to make sure they're not ridiculously overpowered, yet at the same time still more powerful than the other members except Yu. I think I have an idea how to handle this problem, but feel free to let me know your thoughts.

The next problem, however, is what really bothers me. I've seen many interesting stories being crippled by its bland/fast-paced/exaggerated battle scene (which is something I wish to avoid). People might also complain about the lack of (or too much) little details. Again, please let me know on your review.


	4. Spring of Rebirth

**Junes  
04/19 Tue  
Daytime**

Despite being the largest shopping center in Inaba, Junes is not always packed with customers. One of the reason for such drawback is because Junes has attracted the resentment from many store owners in the shopping district. Of course, if one considers the situation with impartial judgment and logical reasoning, it is absurd to blame Junes for stealing their customers since business is all about competition. But fate is not so kind, as Junes is forced to endure the hostile treatment from the local population.

The amount of revenue gained from selling their goods is enough to cover all the expenses, costs and taxes needed to run the business, but not enough to employ a large amount of workers. As such, Junes is constantly suffering from the lack of personnel and was only able to employ small numbers of part-timer.

A certain blue-haired boy, being its newest staff and worker, is busy swiping the floor in the food court area while also organizing the tables and chairs. Due to the recent homicide cases that struck Inaba, business in the small town is slower than expected. In fact, if Minato is to work alone for that entire day, he would be more than enough to handle every customers by himself. However, despite the current situation, Minato continued to work diligently through the day.

When Yosuke brought Minato to his house, he also asked his parent for permission to let Minato stay with them. Even though they barely know a thing about him, they granted the request and agreed to give him shelter at least until an associate or a member of the family comes to retrieve him. Thus, Minato decided to help them out both at home and Junes. Repaying their kindness is a given, but for him who still has nothing else to do, there really isn't anything better to do.

That is, until he met a certain gray-haired police officer and a red eyed girl.

Minato sighed. He regretted not asking their name or whereabouts when they first met. It is fairly obvious that they know more about him, since he only learned his own name after hearing it from them. If he could find them again, he may be able to obtain more information about himself.

Just when the thought occurs to him, Minato sees the very same girl he met yesterday. The one that had piqued his interest.

It was not because he was attracted to her charm, even though Minato himself admitted she is indeed a very beautiful girl, but rather the fact that she looks familiar. He couldn't even remember anything about that police officer in spite of his obvious connection to Minato, and yet he is able to somewhat recognize the girl almost immediately upon their first meeting.

The girl is wearing a long-sleeved cardigan which on top of a black dress with frilled skirt. She also wears a pair of thigh high socks which cover most of her slender legs along with a pair of dark colored shoes. On her shoulder is the exact same red handbag she wore yesterday.

She must have felt his stare as she turned to look at his direction before approaching him.

"Good afternoon, Minato-kun. I didn't expect to meet you again so soon"

Minato responded the greeting by withdrawing a small memo pad from his chest pocket. Yosuke gave it to him in case Minato needed to express his thoughts with a more specific method. There are limits to how well he can communicate with simple gestures, and using a sign language is no good since most people he met are not familiar with it. Instead, Minato had written various responses that might be useful in a regular conversation. He flipped his memo to show the girl three different pages he had prepared beforehand.

 _Good Afternoon._

 _Welcome to Junes._

 _May I help you?_

The girl only smiled at his unique response before answering his question.

"Yes, please. I need to buy myself some new clothes. Can you show me around?"

Minato nodded. He gestured at the girl to follow him deeper inside the building and into an elevator.

Junes' layout was made simple in order to ease navigation and reduce maintenance cost. The ground floor consists of three areas: The Food Court, the Electronic Department, and The Main Building. The Grocery Department and the Clothing Department are located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the Main Building, respectively. All the floors are connected by the two elevators in the main building, along with a set of staircase.

When they arrived on the 3rd floor, Minato can see a familiar figure talking to the cashier. It was Takeru Hanamura, Yosuke's father and the manager of Junes.

"Oh Minato-kun, thanks for your hard work today!" Yosuke's father waved his arm to call over Minato. "Hm? Who is this? I didn't know you already got yourself a cute girlfriend"

Hearing his comment, Minato shook his head while the girl chuckled to herself.

"Minato-kun is an old friend of mine. I was hoping he could accompany me buying some clothes" The girl explained to Yosuke's father.

So there is a connection between him and her… Asking her directly would be the fastest way to learn the truth, but for now he decided to play along with her request. He nodded his head in agreement with the girl so that Yosuke's father would allow him to accompany her.

"Well… It doesn't look like many people are coming today and Minato-kun has been working hard for the past few days…" Yosuke's father is mumbling to himself. "Then how about this? If you promise you'll buy a lot from our store, I'll lend Minato-kun to you for the rest of the day"

"Alright, we got a deal"

"Perfect! Then, Minato-kun, I'll leave the rest to you!"

Yosuke's father patted him on the shoulder before leaving them alone.

"Well then, shall we continue our date then?"

Minato withdraws his memo pad again, but instead of just showing certain words, he writes another sentence on a new page.

 _Sure. What type of clothes do you want, Ms. …?_

"Hamuko Kirisaki. That's my name" answered the girl. "Let's see… I'd usually prefer wearing modest clothes, ones that are not too revealing. As for the colors… I guess anything will do, although it would be nice if it's orange or red. Do you have something you can recommend, Minato-kun?"

Minato nodded his head. He now knows her name, all that is left is to inquire her directly. But for now, he got a job to do.

* * *

When Hamuko promised Yosuke's father she'll buy lots of clothes, she wasn't kidding. It is highly possible that Hamuko alone had spent enough to match the Clothing Department monthly revenue.

"Um… T-Thank you for your patronage, Ms. Kirisaki. Do you require anything else?"

Even the girl working as the cashier is amazed by the amount of clothes Hamuko had bought. How did she get all that money?

"Yes, is it possible to deliver them to the Amagi Inn?"

"Of course, just write your name and room number here. We'll be sure to deliver it within an hour"

After giving her address to the cashier, the girl turned to Minato.

"Thank you for accompanying me, Minato-kun. I should get you something as well for all that trouble. Do you have anything you want to buy?"

Minato shook his head. He doesn't really need anything in particular and it doesn't seem right to have his patron buying something for him.

The girl, however, insisted on repaying the favor.

"Unfortunately, I don't take no for an answer. Didn't your boss said he will lend you for today if I keep my promise?" Hamuko smiled mischievously in response. "If you don't have anything you need, why don't I get you some clothes as well?"

After saying that, Hamuko dragged him by hand back inside the department. Minato could only go along with her will as they soon found themselves in the men's clothing section.

"Do you want to choose them yourself? Or would you like to have me pick them out for you?"

He doesn't mind either way, but it might be better to have Hamuko herself decides how much she would want to pay for his clothes. So, he let Hamuko do as she pleases and pick whatever she thinks would suit him.

"Alright, wait here for me, okay? I'll be back soon"

The girl soon leave to choose his clothes. With nothing else to do, Minato decided to take a seat on a stool nearby and wait for Hamuko to return. All the while, pondering over the thoughts in his head.

There is no doubt that he and Hamuko are related to each other. Her actions are proofs that Hamuko is comfortable enough to be closer around Minato. It can even be assumed that they were close friends in the past, before Minato lost his memory.

Aside from that, there are also things that bother him. Hamuko basically said she is currently staying at the Amagi Inn, which means she is not from Inaba. Judging from her financial ability, it is safe to assume that she either comes from a wealthy family or she already has a high-paying job at her age. But Minato doesn't see her as a typical spoiled rich daughter from a wealthy family. Instead, he looked at her as a dependable young woman who is used to taking care of herself. Besides, there is no need to buy that many clothes if she's on a vacation. The only plausible explanation would be the latter case.

If there is a high paying job which require her to visit and stay in Inaba for an extended period of time, it would be as a private investigator to the recent serial homicide. That would explain so much. But, is it really the case? It's only a few days after the murders began, it doesn't make sense for the police to immediately request backup from a private investigator.

Minato suddenly remembered something. Of course, there IS a connection to everything. Whether it's the murder case, the arrival of Hamuko to Inaba or even his own presence, all of those things are related in a way by a certain fact.

The existence of that world inside the TV.

Yosuke and his two friends found him unconscious in that world. There is also that time when Yosuke even accused him as the murderer. When Minato met Hamuko for the first time yesterday, he also remembered she was being accompanied by the trio. That world is the reason for everything. Perhaps, he will even find his own truth in that place.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had a hard time finding out which would suit you best"

Hamuko had returned with various types of clothes on her hands. Each and every last one of them looks expensive, numbering to tens of thousands of Yen. Minato swiftly writes another sentence on his memo before showing it to Hamuko.

 _Kirisaki-san, is it really alright for me to wear these?_

"It's okay, you don't need to be so modest" Hamuko smiled at his reaction while handing him the stacked clothes. "Now, go ahead and get changed. Make sure you return to me again while you try them on"

Minato nodded before heading inside one of the dressing rooms nearby. Most of these clothes are uncommon and rarely used here in a rural town like Inaba, but are quite popular in the big city. It took him a while to put them all on, but the looks on Hamuko's face is enough to makes the effort worth it.

He is now wearing a black waistcoat on top of a long-sleeved white shirt which was rolled up to his forearm and a striped black and white necktie. He also wears a pair of trousers and black shoes, along with a silver belt and a pair of black gloves. Even though Minato has slender build, the clothes did well to accentuate his figures.

"You looks absolutely good in those, Minato-kun" Hamuko complimented his appearance. "I could fall for you any minute now"

Hearing her comment causes Minato to get slightly embarrassed, which earned him a chuckle from the girl.

"I'm just kidding, I already did"

What did she just said?

"Anyway, why don't you wear that for the rest of the day? I'll pay for your clothes first, so you should go ahead and return your previous ones back to your house. Meet me again in the food court as soon as you're done"

Because his memo pad is still inside his previous pocket, Minato could not use his usual response. Instead, he bowed to her in gratitude while mouthing few words as clearly as possible.

 _Thank you, Kirisaki-san._

"You're welcome. And please… just refer to me as Hamuko"

* * *

When Minato arrived at the food court after returning his previous attires back to his room, he can see her sitting on one of the chairs while texting someone.

"Oh sorry, Minato-kun. I didn't notice you're already here"

Hamuko then turned off her cellphone before putting it away inside her handbag.

"Have you eaten lunch already? Or do you want to get something to drink?"

Minato shook his head but is nevertheless grateful for her offer. Instead, he withdraws his memo pad again to convey what he had been meaning to ask.

 _Hamuko-san, is it alright if I inquire something of you?_

The girl merely smiled at his question, albeit with a slight hint of sadness in her expression.

"Of course… Just write them down all at once. I will do my best to answer your curiosity"

Having received her reply, Minato responded by writing his questions in his memo.

 _What brings you to Inaba?_

 _What do you know about me?_

 _What happened before I lost my memory?_

Hamuko took a deep breath before giving him her answers.

"A part of my reason for being here is due to a certain job of mine. There is something else beyond the homicide case happening in this town and I'm here to investigate it"

Minato nodded at her answer. His earlier hypothesis was correct after all.

"As for your second question… Your name is Minato Arisato. You may not remember it, but we were classmates for the 2nd year of high school. That was two years ago. You are also a very important individual to me"

Two years ago? But that means he must be at least 18 years old by now… And yet his appearance is relatively younger than that. Come to think of it, if what she said is true then Hamuko must also be 18 years old. Her appearance resembles that of a high school student more than it resembles a college student of her age.

"For your final question, I do not know exactly what causes you to lose your memories, but I have a speculation… I did something unforgivable, and you paid the heavy price for it. Perhaps it has something to do with that…"

There are many unanswered questions that lingered in his mind, and they only increase after he had spent some time with Hamuko. But whatever that 'unforgivable' act is, it must be terrifying enough to make Hamuko scarred for life, given her current expression.

"Oh, hello there Arisato-san, Kirisaki-san. It's surprising to see you two here"

Minato heard the voice greeted them from behind him. It was Yu Narukami, the one who rescued him from that world along with Yosuke. Beside Yu, he can also see Yosuke and that short-haired girl wearing green jacket.

"Good afternoon, Narukami-san, Hanamura san, and Satonaka-san. Have you finished your preparation yet?" asked Hamuko.

"Yeah, we're ready to go anytime" Yu answered her, before looking at Minato. "But we could give you some time, if you want?"

"It's alright. It might be best if we go there as soon as possible" Hamuko stood up from her seat. "Thank you for today, Minato-kun. I'm sure you still have some questions left, but I'm afraid I'm not ready yet to tell you everything. Will you wait for me until that time comes?"

Minato nodded. It's true that he's not satisfied enough with her answer, but he know better than to pressure her.

Hamuko gave him one last smile before walking away with Yu and the others. He can hear bits of their conversation even from some distance.

"So, what was it you two are talking about?"

"It can wait. For now, let's focus on saving Amagi-san"

Minato stood up from his seat. He will not force her to tell him everything, but if there is a chance he can find his answers in that world, he will not hesitate to grasp it. He decided to follow them in secret.

If Minato remembered correctly, the first time he awakened was inside that world. After that, they went through some sort of portal and ended up arriving at the Electronic Department. Could it be the gateway connecting the two worlds is located somewhere in there?

Fortunately, he arrived in time to catch them in the act. He can see Yosuke put his hand inside one of the television screen before diving in completely, as if being swallowed by it. Hamuko soon did the exact same thing Yosuke had done, followed by Yu and that other girl. All of them had mysteriously disappeared into the television.

* * *

 **The Midnight Channel  
04/19 Tue  
Daytime**

Hamuko can't help but feel amazed by the sight before her. A world completely engulfed in fog as far as one can see. Even during all those time working for the Shadow Operatives, she never encountered something this big. The only thing that comes close to this is Tartarus, and it still wasn't enough to rival the sheer dimension of this world.

"So, this is the world inside the TV that you spoke of…" Hamuko murmured to herself.

"Yeah, Teddie said it doesn't have a name but we usually refer to it as the Midnight Channel" Yosuke replied.

"Who's Teddie?"

Before he can answer her question, a strange looking bear appeared from beyond the fog and approached them.

"That would be me, madam!" The bear strolled happily in her direction. "Gosh, aren't you a cute babe. Do you want to score with me later?"

"Uhh—"

"Shut it, Ted. Now's not the time" Chie reprimands the strange bear.

"Teddie here is our support in fighting the Shadows. He provides us with analysis regarding the enemy's weaknesses" Yu explained to Hamuko.

"Must be a scanner type like Fuuka…"

"Come again?"

"It's nothing. So, how do you guys summon your Persona?"

"We kinda imagine them in our heads first before these strange looking cards suddenly float around in the air. After that, we just need to break those cards and uh, you know, our Personas just appear like that"

"Chie, you make everything seems more complicated…" Yosuke commented on her crude explanation, earning a smack on the back of his head.

"It's better if we show it to you"

Yu raises his right hand to the air before summoning a tarot card which floats around on his palm. He then shouted his Persona name while crushing the card in his hand.

"Izanagi!"

The summoned persona appeared above Yu. It resembles that of a masked warrior equipped with a large pole arm and a black suit. Izanagi stared at Hamuko for a moment before disappearing in a blue light.

"Izanagi… Isn't it the name of the primordial god in Japan's mythology?"

"Yes. Although I don't think it's the same one mentioned in the legend. For Yosuke, it was Jiraiya and for Chie, it was Tomoe" Yu answered her.

"I see…"

Hamuko then imitated what Yu had just done. She focused her mind to summon the card before crushing it in her hand.

But nothing. There is no Persona floating above her.

"…Looks like I still can't use my Persona… As expected…"

"As expected?" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, as expected…" she repeated her words "It doesn't matter, I will use 'that' instead"

After Hamuko said that, a katana suddenly appeared on her left hand. It has a silver scabbard made of lacquered wood and decorated with a golden _Sageo_. The handle is braided with white and light blue _Tsuka Ito._ It also has a golden guard in the shape of an oval.

"How do you—"

"Long story…" Hamuko smiled at the trio. "Shouldn't we head out now? "

"Wait, there's something else. Teddie, do you have any spare glasses for her?" Yu asked the bear.

"Of course, Sensei! Here's one for you, babe" Teddie gives Hamuko a small glasses with red frame "I made it for Yuki-chan, but I can always make an extra pair later"

When Hamuko wears it, the sight around her suddenly becomes crystal clear. As if the fog never existed.

"Ah, so this is why you wear those glasses…" Hamuko murmured. "Thank you, Teddie. I'll treasure it" The girl patted him with her right hand, causing him to let out a purr.

"We wasted enough time… Let's go" said Yu.

Yosuke, Chie and Hamuko nodded. The four of them ventured deeper into the fog, followed by Teddie.

Unbeknownst to them, another mysterious figure appeared not long after they left the entrance.

* * *

Yu had suspected Hamuko to have some degree of experience in fighting the Shadows, given her background as a part of the Shadow Operatives and a former wielder of the Wild Card ability.

But even then, he would never expect her to easily surpass his expectation.

Despite not being able to use a Persona, Hamuko is able to fight efficiently by combining her outstanding swordsmanship with her remarkable footwork. Her combat style is based on a more refined form of Iaijutsu, which allows her to cut down her enemies with swift movement and deadly precision. Her ability is indeed amazing, but Yu suspect it was also because of the blade she wielded.

A traditional Japanese Katana is widely known for its unusual sharpness, even among other bladed weapons. This is because the blade is made as thin as possible in order to increase its cutting ability. However, because of such design, it also has lower durability compared to other arms. A small force would be enough to nick the blade or completely shatter it.

On the contrary, Hamuko's Katana is not only sharp but also extremely durable. Even when Hamuko used it to block many incoming attacks, the blade showed no sign of being chipped.

"That's the tenth group we fought today…" said Chie after finishing off the remaining Shadows. "You're amazing, Kirisaki-san. Even after all that, you barely broke a sweat"

"You can say that again. I guess it's to be expected from a pro Shadow hunter" Yosuke commented.

"You're overestimating me" Hamuko smiled at them. "Narukami-san is better than I am"

"No, what they said is true" Yu suddenly spoke. "You should take the lead, Kirisaki-san, considering your experiences and abilities"

"Unfortunately, I have to decline…" said Hamuko. "Your ability to cooperate with Hanamura-san and Satonaka-san is far better than I could ever hope to achieve. Have faith in your own powers, Narukami-san, you're a more capable leader than I am"

Yu only sighed in response.

"I understand… I'll be counting you guys then"

"Heh, just leave it to us, partner!" said Yosuke.

"Yeah, you got us this far after all. I believe in you too" said Chie.

Yu can't help but smile after hearing his friends' words. It may not be long since he came to Inaba, but he really enjoyed his time together with them.

"Sensei, I can smell Yuki-chan's location from here. She might be on the next floor" said Teddie.

"Good job, Teddie. Can you show us the way?" asked Yu.

"The stair is on that direction, but—"

"What is it?"

"There's something else beside her. I think Yuki-chan is not alone in here" said Teddie.

"It must be her Shadows…" said Yu. "Let's go, but stay on your guards"

* * *

When the group arrived on the 8th floor, they can see Yukiko is resting against one of the pillars in the hall while clutching her chest. Her Shadow is sitting on the throne, looking as seductive and malevolent as ever.

"Oh? What's this? I only asked for a prince, and yet there are three of them" Shadow Yukiko said in an eerily sweet voice.

"Three princes? The only guys here are Yosuke and me" said Yu.

"Duh, the third's one gotta be me!" Teddie commented on his words.

"Yeah, no…" Yosuke rolled his eyes.

Shadow Chie merely chuckles after hearing their respond.

"Unfortunately there is only one true prince in this room. One that can free me from my cage. Isn't that right, my dear Prince Chie?"

"H-Huh? Me?"

"I didn't know Amagi-san swings that way…" Hamuko commented.

"So that's why she always rejected us boys…" said Yosuke.

"Y-You got it all wrong!" Chie shouted at her friends, before turning to look at Shadow Yukiko. "Anyway, I'm going to rescue Yukiko! Don't try to stop me!"

"Rescue? Hah! We both know that I waited long enough for you to do that!" Shadow Yukiko suddenly yelled, shocking the group.

"No… Stop it…"

Yukiko, who had forced herself to stand up, suddenly spoke.

"I'm tired of being forced to inherit the inn! Family business?! Historical treasure?! All that things can go to hell for all I care!"

"Please… That's enough…"

Despite her best effort, Shadow Yukiko continued to rant its true feeling to everyone.

"Here I was, waiting for my best friend Chie to save me from this hell-hole, and what was it you said to me? 'I guess it can't be helped'?!"

"Yukiko…" Chie stammered in response to Shadow Yukiko's words.

"How dare you… I—"

But before Yukiko can finish her words, her Shadow interrupted her.

"Never think something like that? That is where you are wrong… I am you and you are me. That is why I know everything about you. You do know this, don't you? 'Real Me'?"

Yukiko, who can't no longer endure her Shadow ranting, finally snaps.

"No! You and I are nothing alike!"

After Yukiko said that, the black aura emanating from her Shadow immediately engulfed its entire body.

"Yes…! Now I'm free… And you are no longer me...!"

Shadow Yukiko then re-emerges from the black aura with its new form. It has now taken the form of a large red bird inside an opened bird cage, which hangs from the chandelier. It also summons another Shadow in the form of Charming Prince to aid it in battle.

"Tch! Here they come!" Yosuke shouted.

"Be careful, Sensei! Her Shadow is immune against fire and that one is strong against wind!"

"Yosuke, you're with me. Kirisaki-san and Chie, please take care of that small Shadow. Teddie, get Yukiko to safety as soon as you get the chance" said Yu before charging at Shadow Yukiko with Yosuke.

"Satonaka-san, please stay close to me" said Hamuko.

"Kirisaki-san?"

"I don't know about that small one, but if Amagi-san's Shadow is immune to fire, there is a high chance it's adept with fire attack as well. If I recall correctly, your Persona is weak to it"

"Then what should we do?" asked Chie.

"I have a plan. But for now, we'll focus on taking out that Shadow" answered Hamuko.

* * *

When Minato followed Hamuko and the others inside the TV, he expected to arrive at that studio-like place, the same one where he first regained consciousness in this world. Instead, he soon found himself trapped in complete darkness. The same darkness that used to binds him before his awakening.

 _Do you really wish to learn the truth?_

A voice suddenly called out to him. He can't see anyone around him, but he can at least figure out the sound belongs to a female.

 _What you desire is never meant to be found…It should remain hidden within the fog…_

What does it mean? Does this entity knows something about him too?

 _Seek it if you must, but tread your path carefully… For one wrong step will costs you what you hold dear the most…_

Immediately after hearing those words, Minato began to experience a vision flashing in his mind.

He sees himself kneeling while embracing Hamuko's wounded body. The life that was once reflected in her eyes is now replaced by death. The spectacle around him is that of a ruined city covered in darkness, lit only by the green moon above the starless sky.

He can feel the cold of the night brushing sharply against his skin… He can hear the whistling sound of the wind dancing in the air… He can smell her blood dripping from her wounds…

And before he realized it, he finds himself back in reality, to the world inside the TV.

Minato clutches his chest while gasping for air. The vision he just saw was no mere nightmare. It was very real, as if he was physically there in that dystopia.

At first, Minato's goal was only to explore that world and find the clue to his memory. But after acknowledging his current situation, he decided to set aside that desire for the time being. He has realized something far more important.

He needs to find Hamuko and protect her at all cost.

* * *

It wasn't that long since Hamuko and the others began to fight Shadow Yukiko and the Charming Prince, and yet it is clear they're at a disadvantage.

Both Yu and Yosuke are struggling to keep Shadow Yukiko at bay while she and Chie are focusing their attacks at the smaller Shadow. The Charming Prince's attack isn't that dangerous in comparison to the other Shadows they fought earlier, but it has a frightening endurance which allows it to withstand their onslaught.

Chie's Persona, from what Hamuko observed, is specialized in physical skills while also being able to use ice elemental skills albeit with limitations. However, she must have spent most of her stamina after fighting many Shadows on their way here, as her attack is less powerful than it was before. To make things worse, Shadow Yukiko keep on casting White Wall upon the Charming Prince, raising its resistance to Chie's ice attack even further.

Hamuko herself is also limited in a way unique to her. The Katana she utilized is not an ordinary one, it is able to attack any Shadows regardless of their affinity and resistance. But unlike the other three Persona users, her attack doesn't pack much power. This is because the Katana is dependent of its wielder power. Hamuko, being a girl, can only swing the blade with limited strength.

It took them some time, but they finally managed to strike the Charming Prince simultaneously, causing enough damage to make it disappear.

"That's one down!" Chie shouted.

"Good! Stay there and look for an opening! Strike as soon as you get the chance!" Yu ordered Chie while dodging an attack aimed at him.

However, losing the Charming Prince has made Shadow Yukiko berserk as it flies above before preparing for an attack.

"Narukami-san, protect Hanamura-san!"

Yu who was standing near Yosuke at the time immediately understood her intention, as he pulled Yosuke back by his uniform before changing his Persona to Berith.

Shadow Yukiko then unleashes a devastating fire breath which cover almost everything in the room.

"Chie! Kirisaki-san!"

"Don't move, Yosuke! Stay behind me!"

Because of his Persona natural immunity to fire, Yu had no problem protecting himself and Yosuke from the inferno. But Chie is exceptionally weak to fire, and Hamuko cannot use her Persona. He can't help but worry for their safety.

The torrent of flame continued to last for a while until it dissipates completely, leaving the floor charred in the aftermath. Much to Yu and Yosuke's surprise, Chie and Hamuko appeared to be relatively unscathed from the onslaught.

"Now, Satonaka-san!"

Chie summoned her Persona to send forth a hailstorm at Shadow Yukiko, bringing it down hard on the floor.

Not ignoring the opportunity, all of them relentlessly attack at the vulnerable Shadow. For each strikes of the blade, the thunder, the wind and the ice, Shadow Yukiko yelled in pain before finally succumbing to its wound and reverting back to its previous form.

"Did we do it?!" Yosuke asked.

"Yes, but… She still need to face herself first…" said Yu.

Teddie who had taken cover for the whole battle re-emerge from behind one of the pillar while supporting Yukiko with his body.

"Yukiko! Are you hurt?!"

Chie is the first to approach the weakened Yukiko, who looked at her own Shadow before averting her eyes from her friends.

"N-No… That's not me…"

"You'll have to accept it, Yuki-chan, or it'll go berserk again…" said Teddie.

Chie then suddenly embraces her childhood friends, holding her tight in her arms.

"Yukiko, I'm sorry… I'm not as strong as you might think, and there are lots of things I can't do without you…" She began to sob.

"Chie…"

"I was jealous of you… I thought you have the kind of strength I do not have… I never bothered to look beyond my weaknesses… I never even considered your true feeling…"

Yu, Yosuke, Hamuko and Teddie all remained silent to give the two time to reconcile.

"But, if it's alright with you… If you still want me by your side… Can we start over as friends…?"

Yukiko who finally heard Chie's true feeling is moved to tear, as she finally returns the hug.

"I've always depended on you, without ever having confidence in myself… I only waited for you to rescue me, without doing anything on my own… But, I've always considered you as someone precious to me… And I would be honored to have you as my friend…"

Yukiko then turned to confront her own Shadow.

"I'm sorry I didn't acknowledged you before… You're right, I did want to leave and escape, but I was too afraid to deny the fate imposed on me. That's why I created you"

She gently holds her Shadow by its hands, enveloping them in her own.

"You are me… And I'm you"

Her Shadow nodded after hearing her words. It transfigured into a Persona, floating elegantly on the air before disappearing in a blue light.

If it weren't for Hamuko catching her, Yukiko would have fallen on the floor as her fatigue is finally taking its toll.

"We should return for the time being. It's not safe here"

Yukiko who is barely conscious at the time still managed to recognize another one of her savior.

"Kirisaki-san…? Why are you here…?"

"It is nice to meet you again, Amagi-san" Hamuko smiled. "It's a long story, but take it easy for now. We'll talk later"

"Kirisaki-san is right, it'll be bad if we have to fight another Shadow with our current condition" said Yu. "I'll take point. Yosuke, can I count on you to act as the rear guard? Meanwhile, Teddie will show us the safest way back to the entrance"

"Got it, partner"

"Leave it to me, Sensei!"

"Satonaka-san, can I trouble you to walk with Amagi-san? I'm afraid I'm in no condition to support her"

Hamuko cringed in pain after saying that. The group finally realized it was because of the large burn scar on her right forearm.

"Kirisaki-san! Your arm—"

"Don't worry about it, it will eventually heal" Hamuko assured the panicked Chie. "We better leave now, I have a bad feeling about this place…"

* * *

Hamuko and the group were walking through the corridor on the 3rd floor. So far, they haven't encountered any Shadow after returning from the 8th floor. But until they managed to return to the real world safely, it might be better for her to keep holding the silver Katana in her left hand.

"Kirisaki-san, if I may ask, can you explain your power to us in greater details?" Yu suddenly asked her when they walked down the stair leading to the 2nd floor.

"That's right, now that I think about it, I never told you guys" said Hamuko. "It's been a year since I last summoned my Persona. Many things happened, and I suddenly lost my power. But, I was given this blade to compensate for the loss of my ability"

"That blade… Is not an ordinary one, is it?"

"How perceptive of you, Narukami-san. Indeed, this is no mere Katana. It cannot be broken and it has special properties unlike any others. With it, I can strike down any Shadow regardless of their resistance. I can also resist any kind of attack aimed at me"

"So that's how you protected Chie back then…" Yosuke murmured. "But your arm… How did you got wounded despite having such power?"

"Unfortunately, my power is not absolute" Hamuko smiled. "If I was by myself, I can completely nullify an attack no matter how potent it is. But depending on the number of people I was guarding, the effect is reduced to a certain extent. I'm also vulnerable to a certain type of damage "

"So, Kirisaki-san got hurt because of me, huh… Come to think of it, my reckless attitude also got Yu and Yosuke in trouble yesterday…"

"Don't blame yourself too hard, Satonaka-san… Weren't we able to save Amagi-san because of your unwavering determination and persistence?" Hamuko comforted her.

"Yeah, but still…"

"You should be happy to be able to rescue your friend in time. Who knows what will happen if you guys waited any longer than you should"

Hamuko's words, while not entirely enough to comfort Chie, are sufficient to make her smile again.

"I suppose so… Thanks again, Kiri—"

But when they're about to open the door leading to the 1st floor, they were surprised by the sudden arrival of another large Shadow coming from beyond the door. It was the Avenger Knight, the same Shadow that gave them a hard fight just yesterday.

Yu and Teddie, who were the closest when the Shadow bashed the door open, were sent flying across the room. The Knight then charges at Chie who was unable to do anything because she was still supporting Yukiko at the time. Instead, Hamuko pushed them out of the way, withstanding the full brunt of the attack merely with her Katana.

"Yu! Teddie! Are you okay?!" Yosuke yelled at them.

"Don't mind us! Focus on the Shadow in front of you, Yosuke!"

Hamuko was careless. If it weren't for her injured arm, she can defeat the Shadow with no problem. But right now, they got two more wounded person. Chie is out of the fight because she had her hands full with defending the unconscious Yukiko and Yosuke is already exhausted from their grueling battle earlier. None of them is able to fight at full strength right now.

"Hanamura-kun, listen to me. When I give you the signal, grab Narukami-san and Teddie then run for the exit. Satonaka-san should follow you from behind along with Amagi-san. I'll hold it here"

"That's impossible! We won't leave you behind!"

"I'll make it somehow with my ability… But I can't fight with you guys around, it's too dangerous. Please go ahead and run without me"

Hamuko knows this is a risky option. Just by observing the earlier attack, it is obvious that she will never be able to outrun the Shadow. Worst-case scenario, the Shadow will follow her to the entrance and destroyed the TV set Teddie had left behind, leaving her trapped in that world forever.

But before she can give the signal to Yosuke, the Avenger Knight suddenly charges again with its lance aimed at her. Hamuko prepared herself to defend against the attack, expecting her blade to clash against the mighty weapon.

However, the Shadow never managed to hit her as it was suddenly attacked by a powerful blow coming from its blind spot. The force of the impact is strong enough to push the large creature back several meters away. But the attack wasn't from Hamuko nor was it from Yosuke.

It was from Minato, who stroke the Shadow with a devastating open palm thrust.

"Minato-kun!"

Minato, however, did not respond. His eyes are fixed at the opponent standing before him. Although his expression remained as stoic as ever, it's easy to know what he feels.

It wasn't the feeling of relieve or panic that he showed to them. It was wrath.

He walked at the Avenger Knight slowly but surely. His eyes are burning with vengeance, as if wanting to cause as much pain as he could to his enemy. The sound of his footstep gradually changes until its frequency multiplies.

Something came out of Minato. Something that is similar to him in both appearance and expression. It was Shadow Minato, clad in its jet-black aura.

The manifestation of his Shadow shocked not only Yu, Yosuke and Chie, but also Hamuko. It was nothing like Shadow Yukiko with the exception of that dark aura it emanates. It was far more tranquil, and yet was also far more terrifying.

The Avenger Knight roared in anger after receiving the sudden attack. It retaliated by charging at Minato and his Shadow, trying to skewer them together at once. The duo easily dodged the lance, with Minato side-stepping the attack and his Shadow vanishes before the attack even connects.

*Crack*

Shadow Minato suddenly reappeared from behind the Knight and twisted its head violently in a swift movement. The brutal sight in front of them causes the surrounding spectators to look away in horror.

Despite its badly damaged neck, the Avenger Knight miraculously managed to survive although it can no longer move on its own. Shadow Minato then disappear completely in thin air, leaving Minato with his disabled enemy.

Minato slammed the Knight's steed onto the floor hard before holding it from moving with his leg. He then grabbed the Knight's right shoulder with his left hand, before stabbing his right hand deep inside its chest and clawing its heart out. Blood-like substance poured out from the gaping hole on its chest. What was once a fearsome Shadow is now reduced to a helpless creature. The Avenger Knight and its steed finally disappeared after Minato crushed its heart.

The battle only lasted a mere minute after Minato's arrival, but it had definitely left a long lasting terror deep inside the hearts of the surrounding people.

"Minato-kun...? Why are you here…?"

It was Hamuko who asked him that question. The boy, however, still did not respond to her question. Instead, he walked closer to Hamuko before putting his hand gently on her burn scar, completely healing it in a bright blue light.

Hamuko is amazed by the scale of his healing power. Not even Diarahan was enough to completely heal such wound within seconds. Even using her powerful regenerative ability, it would still takes her hours to achieve the same result.

"Thank you, Minato-kun… Is it possible for you to heal the others?"

Minato nodded. He then heals everyone with his power, restoring them back to health.

"Kirisaki-san, what just happened…?" Yu who recovered first asked her in secret. "What did Arisato-san just do?"

"To be honest, I really don't know…" Hamuko whispered to him. "But Hanamura-san and Satonaka-san seem to be afraid of him. If it's possible, can you discuss this with them? Minato is a good person, I don't want them to fear him"

"It's true, Arisato-san did saved us. But don't you think what he did to that Shadow is terrible? Especially his Shadow…"

"I know, but please…"

Her plea is not without reason. It would be unfair to hate Minato after he just saved their life. But it's not like she can't understand them for fearing Minato after what he had done.

"I understand… You risked your life too to protect us. I will do my best to convince them"

"Thank you, Narukami-san… I owe you one"

"Don't mention it"

* * *

 **Junes  
04/19  
Daytime**

It wasn't long since the group barely returned from that world with their lives. Because Yukiko has gotten slightly better after being healed by Minato, they agreed to discuss the case together in the food court before heading back home.

"Yukiko, are you sure you can't remember who did this to you?" asked Chie.

"Yes, I'm really sorry… Even after you all had risked your lives to save mine…"

"That's okay, we're glad enough to have you safe. Although, this means we still has no clue about the culprit…" Yosuke sighed.

"Amagi-san, I need to confirm something with you" said Hamuko. "You said you heard someone ringing the bell at your inn, and when you answered the door, you were drugged from behind before losing consciousness. Is this correct?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I told you"

"When did you awoken in that world?"

"I don't know… I woke up after I felt something hard hit me. When I opened my eyes, I was already there in that castle. I tried looking for the exit, but the fog is so thick that I can barely see anything"

"I see… Can you give us an estimation to how long time has passed since you started wandering around until you met us?"

"I can't say for sure, but I think it was only a couple hours or so"

"Kirisaki-san, could it be true?" asked Yu.

"Yes, I believe that is the case. One of my friend had experienced the same thing as she did, so I'm sure of it. Their perception is greatly altered in that world"

"Uhh, you guys really lost me" said Yosuke. "Can someone please explain to us in an easy way to understand?"

"Y-Yeah! Please share what you guys were thinking to us normal people!" said Chie.

Yu awkwardly smiled at his confused friends.

"Yukiko thought she was in that world for only a couple hours. Although in reality, she had gone missing for three days now"

"T-Three days?" Yukiko was shocked by the revelation.

"So, uh, does that has something to do with why you asked her that?" said Chie.

"Yes. Most people can survive for weeks without food, but they can only last up to several days without water. But no matter how I look at her, Amagi-san is not dehydrated enough for someone who had gone missing for days without any water" Hamuko explained to them. "If this is indeed true, then our time to save the victim is not limited to how long the individual can survive, but rather how long until the fog lifts from that world"

"Obviously, we will still try to save the next victim as soon as possible, which I hope there won't be anymore" Yu quickly added after seeing Chie horrified expression. "But if things get rough, we can take our time to train and thus ensuring better result for the next expedition or rescue attempt"

"I-I see, that makes sense…" Chie nodded in agreement.

"There's another thing. We've seen today's result. Even with my experience and Narukami-san's ability, we still had a hard time in rescuing Amagi-san. I have little to no doubt that things will only get harder from now on. So, what do you think about having Minato-kun joins us?"

Minato looked at Hamuko in shock while Yosuke and Chie fell silent after listening to her proposal. It is as she had feared, they have undoubtedly began to fear Minato and what he's capable of.

"I think it's a good idea" said Yu. "Having Arisato-san on the team will definitely benefit us, not to mention his healing power is indispensable. Besides, Kirisaki-san san has much more experience than all of us combined, I believe in her judgment"

"Well… I was the one who made you our leader, so I can't really say no to your decision…" said Yosuke.

"Yeah… And what Yu just said did makes sense. Besides, I still owe her and Arisato-san for saving our life…" said Chie.

"How about it, Minato-kun? Can you help us?" asked Hamuko.

If Hamuko asked her just before she and the others went inside the TV, he would definitely say yes. But after hearing a certain entity's words, Minato began to hesitate with his objective.

 _Seek it if you must, but tread your path carefully… For one wrong step will costs you what you hold dear the most…_

However, seeing Hamuko's expectant look, Minato sighed before nodding his head as his answer.

"Excellent, then—"

"I do have one condition, though" said Yu.

"Yes? What is it, Narukami-san?" asked Hamuko.

"From now on, you will call us by our first name only, and without any honorific" answered Yu. "You helped us, just like you promised, not to mention you're older and more experienced than any of us. It would be weird to have you continue call our name like that"

"I agree with Yu. From now on, please just call me Chie, Kirisaki-san"

"Sure, I don't have any problem with it. Go ahead and call me Yosuke"

"Yeah, it'd be weird to have our senior call us with honorific. Please call me by my first name, Kirisaki-san"

Hamuko, who never opened her heart to anyone else besides her friends after that incident, finally let out a small laugh.

"I understand, then please call me Hamuko too from now on. I'd be happy if you can call Minato-kun with his first name as well"

"Hamuko-san and Minato-san… I like how they sound, you two have beautiful name" said Yu.

Hamuko only smiled in response.

"It's getting late, I better escort Yukiko home now"

But when she's about to leave with Yukiko, Hamuko felt someone gently holding her right hand. It was Minato.

"I won't be gone for long" Hamuko smiled at him. "I promise I'll return here tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that too"

She gently caress his cheek with her left hand.

"So will you please wait for me again? Just like you did today?"

Her expression is genuine and there is no hint of false hope in her words, so Minato let her go.

"Isn't it getting kinda hot in here?"

Yu's playful remark managed to cause Hamuko to blush a little.

"R-Right, we better get going then" said Hamuko while offering her hand to support Yukiko.

"Wait, Hamuko-san. What should we do now?" asked Yosuke.

"There really isn't anything we can do until Yukiko regain her full strength and the culprit made his or her move, so…"

She gave them one last smile before leaving Junes with Yukiko.

"For now… We wait"

* * *

 _Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit_

 _\- Aristotle_

* * *

 **A/N:**

Finally done! You guys didn't think I would abandon this story, did you? Even if I die, I won't let it end like this (Well, if I die, I can't write. So I beg you all to pray for my health)

I can't believe I would get this many appreciations, even though this is my first time publishing a fanfic. As usual, I'd like to use this section to thank all my faithful readers for enjoying my story, especially those who are willing to spare their time to put in their thought in their reviews. My special thanks to Tatsuya Goddamn Suou (a.k.a GoddamnMC, cmiiw), mocasiotorres27, ditobayupraliestiyo and Blue Bragon for their valuable input.

I know my story can be somewhat confusing, and my grammar is a mess because English is not my main language. But I will try to make things as clear as possible by pointing out **everything important in this chapter:**

1\. There can only be ONE wielder of the Wild Card at a time. In this story, Yu Narukami is the current wielder and guest of the Velvet Room.

2\. Hamuko WAS the wielder of the Wild Card during the whole P3 event, but she lost it after a certain 'incident'. I can't explain much since it will be a major spoiler, but it is connected to the origin of her Katana (I haven't been able to find a satisfying name for it) and 'something unforgivable' that Hamuko did in the past.

3\. Minato got his power from having Death sealed inside him, thus explaining his rather 'brutal' coup de grace to the poor Shadow (I was hesitating whether I should rate this fic as M-rated, just because of that single scene with him. Then again, this fic is about a game which main theme is murder). His lost memory is what will explain everything, including the mystery of Hamuko's Katana and the reason for her losing the Wild Card ability. That's all I can tell you.

4\. I don't really plan on pairing Yu with one of the heroines, but I might reconsider it depending on the reviews. Minato X Hamuko is pretty much permanent though, because this is their story.

Again, **Please Rate and Review,** my beloved readers!


	5. Old Memories

_**-The** **Memoirs-  
** **Moonlight Bridge  
01/31 Sun  
** **The Dark Hour** **  
**_ **  
** _Her parents were lying to her. That's what little Hamuko is thinking right now._

 _When Hamuko was celebrating her 3_ _rd_ _birthday, her parents gave her a famous children storybook which has many interesting fairytales. Sometimes, they would even read one or two stories to her before she goes to sleep. Out of all those stories, the one she liked the most is a story about how a young boy managed to save the princess of his kingdom from the clutches of a terrifying monster. Hamuko would always asked her parents whether the monsters are real, and her parents would give her the same answer every time. There are no such things as monsters._

 _They were wrong. Monsters do exist, after all, and one of them is coming for her right now._

 _She tried to call out for her parents to save her, just like she usually does whenever she gets scared at night. Unlike before, her parents didn't even respond to her desperate call at the moment. They're just sleeping there on the road with their bodies covered in red paint. Why won't her parents save her? Hamuko does not know. She only remembers sitting at the back seat while looking at the pale moon when their car turns upside-down._

 _The monster is coming… She can see it stares at her through that scary looking white mask while wearing a tattered black robe. It reminds Hamuko of her father, when he dressed up in a costume for their last Halloween. The only difference is that his father never looked scary no matter how hard he tried._

 _The monster is coming… She can hear it growl along with the rattling sound of chains on its robe. This thing in front of her is unlike the monsters in her books who only scare her off. It is going to hurt her._

 _The monster is coming… She can feel its freezing, cold hands reaching out to her… Closer… Closer…_

* * *

 **The Midnight Channel  
05/02 Mon  
Daytime**

"Hamuko-san! Hamuko-san!"

Hamuko is suddenly brought back to reality when she hears someone calling her name while shaking her entire body awake. The first thing she sees when she wakes up is the spectacle of a gray-haired boy looking at her with concern.

"Sorry, did you say something, Yu-kun?"

"I was wondering if you can help us train too for today, since everyone is able to stay here a little longer than usual" The boy is looking at her with concern. "But, if you're not feeling too well, maybe we should just call it a day?"

"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking of something else" said Hamuko. Now that she remembers, they were just at the top floor of Yukiko's dungeon, fighting another strong Shadow when her mind began to trail off. "I don't mind, but training with me will be harsh. Is that alright with you guys?"

"Bring it on! I'm ready for any challenge you have in store!" said Chie.

"I see, then I won't hold back. Minato-kun, can you come over here for a second?" Hamuko is signaling at a certain blue-haired boy to approach her. "I'd like you to be the sparring partner for Yosuke-kun, Chie-chan and Yukiko-chan. Can you do that for me? Yu-kun and I will do our training elsewhere"

Much to their surprise, Minato nodded his head in response to her request.

"But Hamuko-san, isn't it dangerous to do our training here?" asked Yukiko. "Another powerful Shadow might ambush us like back then"

"You don't have to worry. I have absolute faith that Minato-kun is strong enough to protect you if that really happens" Hamuko throws a reassuring smile at their newest member of the team. It's understandable for Yukiko to have such thought, given this is only her 2nd time exploring the dungeon. "Rather than that, please concentrate on your training first"

Actually, Hamuko could act as their sparring partner too, since her ability is well suited for the task. But, if she wants them to improve their basic abilities, there is no better opponent than Minato. Besides, she's the only one who could teach Yu master his Wild Card power.

"I see, it does sounds interesting" Yosuke murmured. "So, what are we supposed to do for our training?"

"Your goal is to cooperate together and land a single, solid blow on Minato-kun. If you can clear this training, you will have improved the fluidity of your movement. But, knowing him…" Hamuko throws Minato an expectant look as she turns to leave for the 7th floor with Yu. "It will be easier said than done"

* * *

"That was harsh of you, Hamuko-san, lying to them like that"

"What are you talking about?"

"We both know that your training is impossible for them"

Hamuko smiles at her successor, there really is nothing that could go unnoticed in front of Yu. It's true that while Minato possesses an incredible strength that could rival many physical-based Persona, his greatest power lies in his agility. If Minato demonstrated the same kind of feat like when he came to their rescue, it would be nigh impossible for everyone, including Hamuko herself, to land even a single blow on him.

"Sorry, but I was telling them the truth when I say this training will improve them"

"Well, if you said it like that…" Yu is murmuring to himself. "So, what should I do for my training?"

"Let's see… If I recall properly, you were using Angel and Archangel in our earlier battles. Can you summon those two?"

Yu immediately did as he was told. He first summoned the lesser angel, letting it hover above them for a bit before switching it with Archangel.

"That was impressive, Yu-kun. You can summon and switch your Personas even faster than before" Hamuko complemented him when his Persona disappeared in a blue light. "Although, when I told you to summon those two, I was asking you do it simultaneously"

"What? Is that even possible?"

"Of course. It's easy for a Wild Card user to use multiple Personas and switch them in battle. But to use two Personas together at the same time… That's a completely different story" said Hamuko. "Put aside your other Personas for the time being, and focus on just those two. Imagine them swirling together around you"

The young man closes his eyes for several seconds and concentrate really hard to make two Tarot Cards appear on both his palms. However, when he proceeds to crush the cards, Yu suddenly falls on the floor while clutching his head in pain.

"It hurts… It feels like something is splitting my head in two…" Yu is struggling to catch his breath while he recovers from the shock.

"That's because you were concentrating too hard. Your mind is even more vulnerable to damage when you summon two Personas simultaneously" Hamuko is offering her hand to help Yu gets up. Now that she remembers, she was having the same trouble as Yu when she first use the Fusion Spell. "Try it again, but this time don't concentrate too hard. Relax your mind"

Yu nodded his head. He closes his eyes again and summon another pair of Tarot Cards from nothingness. Albeit his expression clearly indicates that he's experiencing another jolt of pain to his mind, it isn't nowhere as severe as before, as he manages to suppress it with his will power.

A small orb made of pure energy falls from above them after Yu crushed the cards. It shines elegantly as it touches the ground, exploding in a blinding flash of white light.

"What was that, Hamuko-san…? What did I just do…?"

It seems that summoning those two Personas is taking heavy toll on Yu's spiritual energy, as he looks even more exhausted than before.

"Just now, that was one of the Fusion Spells that you can use if you have two matching Personas in your possession. It's called 'Justice', and it allows you to halve your enemy health with a light-element attack"

"That's amazing… How did you come up with such technique?"

"I actually did it when I first summoned my Persona, but it was far more excruciating than what you just experienced. Thanks to that, I had to be hospitalized for an entire week" Hamuko is laughing while she reminisced about what happened back then. It's amazing how fast time flies by and she doesn't even realize it. "I've only discovered 18 different Fusion Spells, and each of them have different effect and consequence. Some of them only give you small concussion, while the most powerful one can leave you on the verge of dead"

"I see… You must have went through a lot, I wish I could be as strong as you…"

"You don't have to rush yourself, Yu-kun. You've got a long journey ahead of you" Hamuko smiles at him. "Take your time, enjoy it as much as you can. You only live once, so make sure you don't regret anything in your life"

 _And, if possible, don't make the same mistake as I did…_

* * *

"Chie, Yukiko! Hold your position and surround him from there!"

Yosuke is shouting his command to the two girls, who are currently standing not far from Minato. They must be planning to launch a pincer attack at him, now that they have completely encircled the blue-haired boy within their formation. It's a simple, yet effective tactic that Yu used earlier when they fought against that Contrarian King. It was amazing of Yosuke to use the strategy he only learned moments before in such an effective way.

Unfortunately for Yosuke, there is a flaw in his plan. If they were only fighting against a lone opponent, this strategy will work without a hitch. But this time, they were fighting against _two_ enemies. Thanks to that small miscalculation, Minato is able to catch them off guard by summoning his Shadow. He charges at the girls' direction with his doppelganger, grabbing the two by their arm before throwing them several meters away.

With his strategy failed and his two companion is out of the fight, Yosuke is left with limited options. He could either attack from a distance with his Persona's wind-element spell, or he could wait for Minato to come at him and then deliver a counterattack. Much to Minato's surprise and disappointment, Yosuke decided to choose the third option. He decided it would be better to just charge at Minato and his Shadow in a frontal assault together with Jiraiya.

Minato is sighing to himself. Yosuke was there two weeks ago when Minato defeated the Avenger Knight. He should've known better than to employ a do-or-die strategy that leaves him vulnerable to a counterattack. With his enemies unable to give much more of a fight, Minato decided it is time for him to end this match. He then delivers his signature open-palm thrust at the ninja-like Persona simultaneously with his Shadow, knocking Yosuke back across the whole room.

"See? I told you things would end up like this"

Yu and Hamuko, who just finished their training session, arrived on time to witness the conclusion of today's sparring match.

"Maybe, but at least they managed to hold their own for almost half an hour. That is much better than any Shadow can do against Minato-kun" said Hamuko.

To be honest, Minato was holding himself back a lot because he did not wish to hurt them more than necessary. If he were to fight them with the intent to kill, he would have reached the conclusion in an instant. But, considering the fact that they were only practicing just now, he has to admit that the trio are growing at an astounding rate.

"Man… Minato-san hits harder than he looks…" Chie, who is the first to recover among the three, immediately gets up on her feet.

"You can say that again… I'm still seeing some stars here…" said Yosuke.

"It can't be helped… Minato-san is just too strong for us. Even Yu-kun said so" said Yukiko.

"What are you saying, you guys did great!" Hamuko tries to cheer them with a comforting smile on her lips.

"Yeah, I don't think I could do anything against Minato-san even if I were to give everything I have…"

Wrong. If there is anyone who could defeat Minato in the team, that would be either Yu or Hamuko.

"Nevertheless, I think we should call it a day. It's not good to push yourself too much, and it would be best for you all to get some rest soon" said Hamuko.

"I almost forgot, but tomorrow is the first day of the golden week" Yosuke is throwing them an expectant look. "How about it? Do you guys want to hang out at Junes tomorrow?"

"It's not as if there is other place to go…" Chie is rolling her eyes. "But yeah, that sounds like fun!"

"Sure, why not. It's a perfect time to take a break, especially after today" Yu is nodding his head in agreement.

"I was supposed to help out at our inn for tomorrow morning, but I think I can ask one of our staffs to trade shift with me" said Yukiko.

"Sweet! Hamuko-san, you're coming too, aren't you?"

"Of course. After all, Minato-kun will be there too. I'd hate to miss spending some time with him"

For some reason, Hamuko has a tender expression when she says that. She often smiles at them, but she rarely put that kind of affectionate look on her face.

Sometimes, Minato forget just how beautiful she is…

* * *

 **Junes  
05/03 Tue  
Daytime**

"Hamuko-san! Over here!"

When Hamuko arrived at the food court, she can see Yukiko waving at her from one of the table. Sitting beside her were Yu, Chie and a little girl in elementary school.

"Sorry I'm late, where are Minato-kun and Yosuke-kun?" asked Hamuko.

"Yosuke just texted me on our way here, he said it would take a while until he and Minato-san are free because most part-timers suddenly asked for leave of absence" Yu explained. "They will be joining us later"

"I see, it must've been tough for them" said Hamuko. Of course, she would rather have Minato spend as much time with her. But she could understand his decision to help out the Hanamura family, given everything they have done for him. "By the way, who is this cute little girl you brought with you?"

"Ah, this Nanako Dojima, my cousin from Inaba. Say hi to them, Nanako"

"Um… Hello…"

"She is… really adorable" Hamuko's eyes are beaming at Nanako

"Yeah, isn't that right? I wish I had a little sister too, and then I can teach her some of my secret moves!" Chie is obviously excited with her own idea.

"Please don't, one kung-fu freak is bad enough for my safety…"

Yosuke, who is still wearing Junes apron and t-shirt, suddenly joined their conversation.

"That was fast, have you finished your work for today, Yosuke?" asked Yu.

"Nah, I was just taking a small break. We're still busy because almost everyone is taking leave of absence or skipping today shift. Thanks to that, there are only me, Minato-san and a handful of our workers remaining"

"Then, why are you resting here? Shouldn't you be helping Minato-san and the others?" asked Chie.

"Give me a break, will you…?" Yosuke sighed to himself. "I have been working since this early morning, I'll be back soon to help Minato-san"

"What is he doing right now?" asked Hamuko.

"He's still in the kitchen, cooking for our customers. We only serve simple dishes here, but the stuffs Minato-san made were really good. You should try some too"

"Ooh, maybe I should order another serving of grilled steak…"

"Chie, didn't you ate half of my portion when Yosuke-kun and Yu-kun bought steaks here?" asked Yukiko. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to eat so many meat in such a short time…"

"It's okay, I can just do some extra sets in my training later. Well then, Yosuke, I'll order the usual too this time!"

"I swear, you only eat nothing but meat… How about you guys? Want to order something too?"

"Can I get a serving of spicy ramen with fried tofu?" asked Yukiko.

"Ah, please make it two servings. I'll get ramen as well" said Yu.

"Then, I'll order a plate of omurice with extra demi-glace sauce" said Hamuko.

For some reason, there is a deep silence between her and the others when she ordered that menu.

"What?"

"Nothing. It just that… your choice is somewhat unusual" Yu is smiling awkwardly.

"Yeah… I was surprised too when you said you want something like omurice. I never thought Hamuko-san has such a childish taste"

"I-It's fine, isn't it? I always liked to eat omurice" Hamuko is slightly embarrassed when her friends gave their comments on her choice of meal. It's true that Omurice was well-liked by children in Japan, and that it's often featured in a kid's meal. However, it doesn't mean adults can't eat it too.

"Well, if you put it that way… What about you, Nanako-chan? I bet we can whip out something that ranks up there with your mom's cooking"

"I don't have a mom. She died in a car accident when I was little"

Nanako answer surprised everyone, particularly Hamuko. Who would have thought that such a sweet little child is enduring the same pain that tormented her long ago…

"Way to kill the mood, Yosuke…" Chie nudges Yosuke from beside him.

"I-I see… Sorry, Nanako-chan, I didn't know…"

Nanako, however, shook her head.

"It's okay. I still have my dad with me. And now I got a big brother too"

Nanako is looking expectantly at Yu, which he answers with a gentle smile.

"We can play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan" Hamuko can't resist patting the little girl on her head. "Just ask your big bro, and we will be there for you"

"Yeah, we should hang out more often" said Yukiko.

"Just said the words, and we'll come running to your house!" said Chie.

"Um, thank you! Then, can I have an omurice too?"

"Of course, Nanako-chan. And while we're at it, let's get sodas for everyone together"

Nanako happily nodded her head. She then gets off from her seat to follow Yosuke to the other side of the food court.

"She is such a strong girl…" Yukiko murmured.

"Yeah… Seeing her makes me look like I'm the weak one…" said Chie. "It's decided, then. I'm gonna play with Nanako-chan today until I can no longer move!"

"Um, that's going a bit too far… But I understand your sentiment. Let's ask Nanako-chan if she would like to play somewhere else after this"

Yukiko then leaves to find Nanako who had gone with Yosuke earlier, followed by her best friend Chie from behind.

"Yu-kun, do you mind if I visit your house every once in a while to play with Nanako-chan?"

"Of course not, I'm sure she would be happy to have you too. But, why would you go that far for someone whom you just met not too long ago?"

"Because, seeing Nanako-chan really reminded me of my younger self… No children should have to endure that kind of loneliness…"

"Hamuko-san?"

"…Sorry, it's nothing. Your 'little sister' needs you. Let's be there for her"

* * *

 _ **-The Memoirs-  
** **Iwatodai Dormitory  
** **04/06 Mon  
The Dark Hour**_

 _The sickening sweet smell of the blood or the eerily looking spectacle of the moon does not bother Hamuko anymore. She had ten years to get used to those kind of things. But, she would never be able to respond properly when being confronted by a girl with a gun strapped to her thigh. Come to think of it, why didn't she turn into a coffin?_

 _The frantic girl was hesitant to draw the pistol on her holster. Hamuko can see her sweat rolls down from her temple as the girl is breathing heavily. Fortunately for them, the situation never escalated any further because a certain someone shouted at the brunette to lay down her gun._

 _A tall, slender figure with a long red hair is coming down the stairs. Even when in the dark, Hamuko can see this person as a very beautiful woman with mature charm. Her thought is made apparent when the lights return to the lobby. An hour must have passed since she arrived at the station._

" _I didn't think you would arrive this late…" The red-haired girl offered her hand to greet Hamuko. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, and this is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you"_

" _Oh, um… Nice to meet you" The girl is looking apologetic when she looks at Hamuko.._

" _Why do you have a gun?"_

 _It might not be the best thing to ask in their first meeting, but Hamuko was rather curious to how the girl managed to get her hands on that thing._

" _It's, uh, sorta like a hobby… Well, not a hobby, but—"_

" _You know how it is these days… We gave it to her as a safety precaution" Mitsuru explained. "It's not a real gun, of course"_

 _It sure looks intimidating enough for a fake one… Hamuko thought to herself._

 _Just then, another figure comes down the stairs. It was a male with a unique blue hair and a striking pair of grey eyes. Even though the boy looked a bit tired, there is an unmistakable tenderness in his face._

" _Minato-kun, what are you doing here?" asked Yukari. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"_

" _I thought I heard someone downstairs, so I came to check it" answered the boy. "Is something wrong?"_

" _No, we were just welcoming our newest transfer student. Why don't you introduce yourself to her?" Mitsuru gestured at him to greet Hamuko._

" _I see… My name is Minato Arisato. I'm a junior at Gekkoukan High School. Nice to meet you, Hamuko-san"_

 _Did she ever mentioned her name to these people?_

" _Wait, how do you—"_

" _Your suitcase has your name on it" Minato pointed at her belonging._

" _O-Oh, I see… Nice to meet you too" said Hamuko while offering her hand to greet her new dorm-mates._

" _You should probably get some rest. School starts at 8 A.M, so you don't want to be late for the assembly" said Mitsuru. "Takeba, can I ask you to show her room, please?"_

" _Right, please follow me, Hamuko-san"_

 _Hamuko slightly bows at Mitsuru and Minato, which they responded with a smile, before she follows Yukari to her assigned room. The fact that Yukari and Mitsuru managed to stay active in that strange time when everyone else turns into a coffin is intriguing, but Hamuko decided to confront them later._

 _Nevertheless, she will find the monster that took her parents away from her, and avenge them…_

* * *

 **The Velvet Room  
05/06 Fri  
After School**

"Marie, can I get another set of Skill Cards on top of these ones?"

"Whatever, just pick out everything you need. I'm too lazy to do anything right now"

Yu forced a smile in response to her gesture. _I guess just hanging out with her twice is still nowhere near enough to make her open up to me_.

"Speaking of which, where is Igor? I don't see him here"

"My master is currently on an errand" Margaret informed him. "I'm afraid you must come again later if you wish to require his assistance in fusing Personas"

"No, it's okay. I was just thinking of consulting a certain matter with him" said Yu.

"I see. Does this 'matter' that you spoke of is related to your curiosity regarding your predecessor?"

Yu was surprised by her sudden inquiry. While he no longer doubts Hamuko's determination to help them in this case, he still wishes to know more about her. He didn't expect for his wish to be known to Margaret.

"How did you— Nevermind, I should have known better"

Actually, he was a bit interested with how she acquired that information. But considering the supernatural nature of the Velvet Room and its inhabitants, it must have been easy for them. He'd rather get a straight answer from her instead of her usual cryptic talk.

"Unfortunately, we're not allowed to disclose anything about our previous guest, unless she herself allows us to do so" said Margaret. "But I can tell you a bit about that blue-haired boy, the one who has crucial role in her journey. Would that satisfy you?"

Yu nodded his head. If Minato was that important to Hamuko, surely there's a thing or two he can learn from this conversation.

"Let's see… In a way, that boy is very similar to Marie here"

When she heard her name was being mentioned, Marie suddenly jolted up on her seat. This conversation must have piqued her interest as well.

"What? What do you mean by someone is similar to me?" Marie asked the older woman of her circumstance.

"Marie, when I first found you here, didn't you said you can't remember anything about your past?"

"Yes, I did said that. Does it have anything to with what you said earlier?"

Margaret, however, ignored Marie's question and instead turns to look at Yu again. This earned her a fierce glare from the brash young girl.

"Both Marie and that boy each lost all their memories about their past lives. They both first awakened their consciousness in this realm, which is greatly different from yours. Can you begin to comprehend what I'm saying?"

"No, I don't! Seriously, stop saying things that are hard to understand!" Marie is obviously pissed from not knowing what Margaret meant with those cryptic talks.

On the contrary, Yu immediately understood the meaning behind those words. Both Igor and Margaret are obviously not humans, despite their appearance. The same thing can be applied to Marie, whose unique background may indicates that she belongs in this world. Then, if that Marie is very similar to Minato, is it possible that…

Minato is not a human?

"No, I can assure you that he is, in fact, a human" Margaret answered his question, as if she can read through his mind. "But, he's only part of it. His other half is something else, something terrifying"

So his guess is not wrong, after all… Which brings him to a greater question; If Minato is only half-human, what in the world is his other half…?

"My brother and sister, who served as the Velvet Room's attendants during your predecessor time, referred to him with a very interesting title" For some reason, Margaret has a tender look in her face when she says that. "If I recall correctly, they once called him as 'the living manifestation of irony'. It perfectly suited that boy, and I'm confident you'll agree with me once you learn his whole story"

Well, in the end, Yu still can't learn anything about Hamuko or how she lost her power. But at least he gets to know Minato slightly better now.

"I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you without leaking our former guest's privacy. If you still wish to learn more, then I advise you ask her in person"

"Not at all, that was quite a valuable information. Thank you for telling me, Margaret"

"You're welcome. Feel free to ask me if you have anything else on your mind" Margaret is smiling gently at her, which Yu returned with a smile of his own.

"Well then, I'm off. Thanks again for your help, Marie. Let's play again tomorrow if you're not busy"

"Understood. Looking forward to it"

When Yu is about to leave the room, he can hear Marie clicking her tongue while talking to Margaret.

"Tsk, you and the nose were similar too. Always saying things in ridiculous way…"

"Oh my, then what about those poems of yours?"

"They're not poems!"

* * *

 **Amagi Inn**  
 **05/07 Sat  
Afternoon**

Uneasiness and fear. These are the two things that were plaguing Hamuko ever since she got involved in this case.

It's been more than two weeks since the Investigation Team managed to save Yukiko, and yet there isn't anything unusual happening in the surrounding area. The culprit never made another attempt at Yukiko's life, even though her safe return is made known the public. Could it be that he has given up on his little game because they have foiled his plan? It's possible, but also very unlikely. After all, this culprit has shown no remorse after killing two people. A single failed attempt is nowhere near enough to make him surrender.

The real problem, however, is yet to come.

Tartarus and the Dark Hour were merely byproducts of a failed experiment, but these two phenomenon had nearly brought about the end of their world at the hands of a nigh-omnipotent entity. However, the Midnight Channel poses a threat that could rival or even surpass the previous calamity. What can they do in the face of such annihilation?

Hamuko is sighing to herself. This case will undoubtedly become her longest and most grueling mission ever. It would be nice if she could ask Mitsuru to send in someone like Aigis or Akihiko as her backup. Come to think of it, she hasn't contacted Mitsuru again since her arrival to Inaba. Have they finished their operation to retrieve the missing Ergo Research cargo? Perhaps it's better for Hamuko to give her superior a call.

Much to her surprise, her phone is ringing before she could even reach it. But it wasn't Mitsuru who called her, it was Kikuno.

" _Kirisaki-san, is that you? Thank goodness, you're safe…"_

Kikuno's voice is filled with worry when she greeted Hamuko over the phone. What could possibly cause the usual calm-headed attendant of Mitsuru to panic like this?

"Yes, it's me, Kikuno-san. What's wrong? Is Mitsuru-san alright?"

" _I'll tell you later, but right now I need to ask you something. Two weeks ago when you were contacted by the Young Mistress, you mentioned to her about working with several local Persona-users to carry out your current mission. Where are they now? Are you still working with them?"_

"They should still be at school at this time, and yes, I'm still cooperating with them to apprehend the perpetrator of this case. Why? What happened with the mission?"

" _We managed to secure the cargo, but… Something went very wrong…"_ Hamuko began to feel the fear in her heart grows stronger with every word she hears. _"Someone laid an ambush for us, and as a result, we've suffered some casualties. Young Mistress and Sanada-san are currently being hospitalized in our private medical institution. They're not in critical condition, but it will take some time until they recuperate"_

For a moment, Hamuko could not believe what she just heard. Even though Kikuno said they were walking into a trap, both Mitsuru and Akihiko are still the top fighters of the Shadow Operatives. Despite their current duty, the strength of their Persona remain undiminished. On top of that, they were backed up by Aigis and other former members of SEES. Whoever that someone is, he or she must be powerful enough to cause such significant damage to a team of veteran Persona-users.

"What about the other members? Are they alright?"

" _The others were injured too from the mission, but aside from that, everyone is fine. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we lost sight of the man responsible for all this. Right now, Aigis-san and I are doing everything we can to track him down"_

Hamuko breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, all of them are still alive. But given the importance of this issue, she may have to suspend her current mission in order to assist Kikuno and Aigis with their pursuit.

"I understand… I'll be there as soon as I can"

" _No, Young Mistress has instructed me to not let you leave Inaba"_ Kikuno warned her _. "She believes that this man is targeting Persona-users for a reason. At any rate, you and your friends should expect an encounter with him soon"_

"Don't worry, I'll be careful" Hamuko reassured the young attendant. No matter what happens, she won't let this man have his ways.

" _Understood. I'll let you know if we find anything new. Good luck, Kirisaki-san"_

After saying goodbye to Kikuno, Hamuko ended the phone call before lying her back against the wall to ponder over what happened.

As if her current case wasn't hard enough, she will also have to deal with this new trouble. Hamuko is confident enough with her ability to defend herself, but what about the others? Yu may stand a chance against this new enemy, but he needs time in order to unlock his full potential. Who knows when will the mysterious man makes his move? The only other person who could rival her power right now is none other than Minato. Hamuko has no choice. There is only one thing she could do in order to ensure the safety of her friends.

The sky outside her room grows darker as the drizzle that came down a while ago turned into a heavy rain.

 _It looks like there's a storm coming…_

* * *

 **Yasogami High School  
05/14 Sat  
Early Morning**

For Yu who spent most of his time translating foreign books until late at night, the last thing he need is hearing his classmates chattering so noisily in the morning. Unfortunately, when he arrived in his classroom, they were already making so much noise that he can barely focus anymore.

"Good morning, Yu-kun. What's wrong? You doesn't look too good" Yukiko greeted him when he arrived at his seat.

"I got carried away with my part time job, and was unable to get some sleep" said Yu. Actually, his monthly allowance is enough to get him through the month, but it wasn't nowhere near enough to pay for the Skill Cards and Persona Compendium service. If only Margaret and Marie doesn't charge him as much _…_ "By the way, is there something going on?"

"That's right, you just arrived so you wouldn't know. I only heard it just now, but apparently our class is going to have another transfer student today" Yosuke informed him.

"Really? Is it a guy or a girl?"

"Dunno, but King Moron should be here any minute now to introduce him or her. Ah, speak of the devil…"

Yosuke quickly return to sit on his chair. Yu immediately understood it was because their homeroom teacher finally entered the room, looking as angry as ever.

"A'right, shut yer trap and go back to your seat! I ain't got all day for this!"

 _Seriously, though… Where did they find this teacher?_

"As you already know, our class just got another transfer student from the city. Tsk, as if the last trash wasn't enough"

Yu can feel King Moron is throwing him a glare, which he responded with a forced smile.

"Now, I hate to waste my precious time, but I better introduce him. Hey! Come in here already, you bastard!"

When the transfer student entered the room, almost everyone in the room is stunned by his rather handsome looks and composed expression. The only ones who have different reaction are Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko, who were all very surprised because they were familiar with the figure standing in front of them.

It was Minato, who was wearing the Yasogami High uniform.

"Hey, hey! What is he doing here?!" asked Yosuke.

"How should I know?! I'm just as surprised as you!"

"You two! Shut up unless you want to scrap gum after school!" King Moron is reprimanding them when he heard them chattering behind his back. "As you can see from his hair, this trash here is as much of a delinquent as that Tatsumi brat. So you girls should just forget about hitting on him. Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick"

But Minato only responded by staring at his homeroom teacher with disbelief.

"Already going against my order, huh? Fine! You're on my Shit List, effective immediately!"

Yu sighed to himself. If this continues further, he would be too stressed out to follow today's lessons. That King Moron should have checked his student profile more properly…

"Morooka-sensei!" Yu raises his hand. "The transfer student can't speak because he's mute. I know because he's my friend"

"What?!" King Moron then turns to look at Minato. "Why didn't you said that before?! Here, write your name on the board!"

… _He's mute, how can he said that…_

Minato wrote his name on the blackboard with a chalk, before bowing to greet his future classmates in the room.

"Your seat is over there, beside Amagi. Hurry up and sit before I decided you're no longer worth my time!"

Minato quickly did as he was told. He excuses himself from the not-so-friendly homeroom teacher before sitting at an empty seat beside Yukiko. As far as Yu knows, someone else has already taken that seat. But if he told that to King Moron, it will only earn him an hour long preaching from the teacher. He decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

 _This is going to be a long day, isn't it?_

* * *

 **Samegawa Flood Plains  
05/14 Sat  
After School**

"Minato-san, if you don't mind me asking, why are you applying to our school"

Yosuke asked Minato as they walk together to Junes. Apparently, Hamuko told Yu to bring everyone together as soon as possible.

 _Hamuko-san asked me to do it. She hasn't told me her reason yet._

"But, I thought you have nothing at all in your record. How did you get all the necessary files?" asked Yukiko.

"It must be Hamuko-san's doing… Considering her affiliation to the Kirijo Group, it should be easy for her to forge some fake documents" Yu explained.

While Minato admired the effort, that was really careless of Hamuko. A small miscalculation, and she would get herself in trouble with the authority. Still, Hamuko looked a bit worried when she came to him with the request. She must have a good reason for asking him to do this.

"It's supposed to be illegal, but let's put our faith in Hamuko-san. We should keep it—"

Yosuke's words were abruptly stopped when he accidentally bumped into a strange hooded man in a cloak.

"Sorry, my bad…"

Yosuke attempted to bow at the man as a token of apology, but the hooded stranger merely smirked a laughter when he do so. There is something off about this man, Minato thought to himself. Something that makes him dangerous.

"Watch out, Yosuke!"

Minato's suspicion is proven true when the stranger draws a pair of blades and swing them at Yosuke's neck. Fortunately, Yu reacted on time by knocking Yosuke down to the ground before the swords connect. Minato then retaliates by thrusting his left palm at the stranger. His attack was blocked by the two weapons, but it pushed him back several meters away with great force.

"Ahahaha! Great job at keeping your head, because your friend almost lost his! Get it?!"

The stranger cast aside his hooded cloak, revealing himself as a young man with striking red hair and a cross-shaped scar on his face.

"Who the hell are you, freak?!" Chie shouted at the red-haired man.

"Ouch… Didn't your elder told you to introduce yourself before asking for others? I guess you're still a 'greenhorn' after all…"

"Why are you attacking us?!" This time it was Yukiko who confronted the man

"Isn't it obvious? As you can see…" The stranger pointed at his own hair. "It's because I'm literally a red hot-headed! Haha!"

"Ugh, this guy's puns are making me cringe…" Yosuke struggled to stand on his feet again.

"Keep your guard up…" Yu warned his friends. "This man is strong…"

Minato nodded his head in agreement. He only had a brief encounter with this enigma, but it was clear that the red-haired man's ability is not to be underestimated. With those experiences and reflexes fast enough to defend against Minato's attack, he would be a match even for Hamuko. On top of that, there's no doubt that he is their enemy, given his hostile nature.

 _Should I kill him? Right here, right now?_

"Whoa, hold it tough guy, I'm not here to fight you. I'm just here to introduce myself" said the red-haired man when Minato unconsciously went into his battle stance. "Name's Sho Minazuki. I just thought I ought to let you know the person who is going to kill you all"

Sho's proclamation shocked almost everyone present, except Yu and Minato himself.

"Are you the murderer?" asked Yu with a hardened expression.

"Huh? Oh, you're talking about that thing that was going on this city… Nah, I'm not interested with someone else's game. I'd rather be playing my own" Sho is smirking at them. "Actually, I had decided I was going to kill you right here, right now. But I changed my mind. If I let you live a bit longer, there might be others joining your pathetic little group. That will be beneficial for my plan, as well"

"Others? Who do you mean by that?" asked Yukiko.

"He means people like us, Persona-users" answered Yu. "Isn't that right, Sho?"

"Bingo! I was correct to assume you were the leader. Not that it matters, you still can't do anything to stop me…"

After saying that, Sho is suddenly enveloped in a thick white fog. Minato can hear him laughing at them one last time, before he disappears without a trace.

* * *

 **Junes  
05/14 Sat  
Afternoon**

"I see… So his name is Sho Minazuki…" Hamuko murmured to herself.

When she asked Yu to get everyone together, Hamuko already decided to tell everyone about their new enemy. She was very surprised to hear from the others that the mysterious man had attacked them on their way here.

"Yes, and I believe he will come after you too, even though you don't have a Persona" said Yu.

"I don't doubt it. Well, I already prepared myself, so you don't have to worry about me"

"Wait, so you knew this was going to happen? That someone will be targeting us?" Chie stared at her in awe.

"Yes. A friend of mine warned me last week about a particular dangerous individual who has been targeting Persona-users. That's why I had Minato-kun applied to your school, in order to protect you from harm"

"I see, we're really grateful for your help" Yukiko's eyes are beaming at Minato and Hamuko herself. "We owe you another huge debt"

"Yeah, I guess we do…" Yosuke murmured to himself. "Still, Yu was pretty amazing when he saved me back then. I bet he can defeat that weirdo with no problem!"

"No, you're wrong…" Yu is forcing a reluctant smile to his friends. "As much as I hated to admit it, Sho was right. I can't defeat him at my current condition. I'm ashamed with my inability to protect you…"

Hamuko can't help but sympathize with her successor's feeling. Both Yu and Nanako really reminded her of her past self…

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Yu-kun… Even my friends, who have much more experience than you all, were helpless against this powerful adversary"

"Then, what should we do? Should we catch that Sho guy first before pursuing the murderer?" asked Chie.

"While there is no doubt that this 'Sho Minazuki' is a dangerous person, I believe solving this case is our main priority" Hamuko explained. There is no real evidence to support her theory, but Hamuko feels if they can't solve this case on time, they may end up unleashing another calamity upon mankind. "That being said, I have no intention of letting Sho catch you by surprise again. Minato-kun and I will do our best to keep you from harm while you train to get stronger"

"I agree, I believe that is the best thing we can do right now…" Yu nodded in agreement. "And while we're at it, I might as well remind you that tonight will be raining. So, don't forget to watch the Midnight Channel again"

"I understand, I shall remember to do it later tonight" said Hamuko. "By the way, Minato-kun, are you okay? You're looking rather pale"

The blue haired boy merely shook his head when she mentioned his name. He smiled at Hamuko, but it was obvious to her that Minato was thinking about something else.

 _Sorry, I need some time to myself. Please excuse me._

After showing them those words, Minato gets up from his seat before he leaves the food court.

"Did something happened earlier?" Hamuko turns to look at Yu. If there is anything out of the ordinary, he would have noticed.

"Not that I know of, but he was just fine before we met Sho"

"I see… Why don't you all go home for the day? I'll take care of Minato-kun"

"Do you want me to accompany you, Hamuko-san?" said Yu.

"No, it's okay. In spite of how he looks, Minato-kun is quite fragile… At times like these, I think it's better if I talk to him alone"

* * *

 ** _-The Memoirs-  
_** _ **Iwatodai Dormitory  
**_ _ **04/09 Thu  
**_ ** _The Dark Hour_**

" _Be careful! The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"_

 _Even before Yukari came to her room with a panicked expression, it was obvious to Hamuko that something big is going on. Her suspicion is proven true when the entire building is shaking violently. After that, a loud banging noise can be heard from beyond the door near the kitchen area._

" _H-Hurry! We're going to the rooftop!"_

" _Yukari-san, shouldn't we wake up Minato-san too?"_

" _No, he's not here! We don't know where he went, but he never returned home from school today!" Yukari can only respond to Hamuko question with desperate tone as they run upstairs to the 5_ _th_ _floor. She's a bit worried about Minato, but given their current condition, there is nothing she could do at the moment._

 _When the two girls arrived on their destination, they were relieved to found out that it was empty. It would be bad if whatever thing that had attacked the dorm pursue them to that place. But moments later, Hamuko regretted herself for tempting the goddesses of fate as several black hands appeared from the edges of the rooftop._

 _It was the same kind of monster as the one from her childhood nightmare…_

 _It's smaller, though, and its shape is vastly different. But while it doesn't have the same kind of disposition as the menacing wraith that she saw many years ago, it's mortifying enough to make Yukari tremble at her feet._

" _H-Hamuko-san, please stay behind me!"_

 _The brunette shouted at Hamuko to take cover while she points the gun in her thigh to her temple instead of the monster. Is she trying to kill herself in order to escape this nightmare? No, if that was the case, then there would be no need to tell Hamuko to hide behind her earlier. Yukari must be attempting to do something. Unfortunately, the monster swings its arm at Yukari, knocking her unconscious while dropping the object on her hand to a spot not far from where Hamuko stood._

 _When was it that Hamuko stopped fearing anything?_

 _Even when she stands in front of an abomination… Even when she picks up the strange gun and point it to her own temple… She remains unfazed. Because it's not fear that grasps her, only a heightened sense of things. She whispers the three syllables word that comes into her mind before she pulls the trigger of the gun._

" _Per… so… na…"_

 _With that single act, Hamuko unlocked her dormant potential that were sleeping within her for more than ten years. She can feel her overflowing power coursing throughout her entire body, as the master of strings himself answered her call from the sea of her soul. But, something must have went wrong, because the warmth sensation that had filled her until now is suddenly replaced by excruciating pain far beyond her imagination._

 _The unbearable pain causes Hamuko to lose control of both her mind and body. She screamed in agony as Orpheus started to dematerialize. Instead, an angelic entity and a demonic creature appeared in his place. The two divine beings unleash a massive blast of energy at the monster, disintegrating it in a purple light which covers the dark sky._

 _In spite of the powerful attack, there are still several monsters left as they ascended the building and approached the defenseless Yukari. Hamuko has to save her friend, but she no longer have the strength to even sustain her Persona. The massive attack just now had drained her almost every ounce of her life. If it weren't for a certain figure catching her, she would have fallen hard on the floor of the rooftop._

" _You did well… Leave the rest to me"_

 _The last thing Hamuko saw before her consciousness faded away were Minato's blue hair and the glimmering, silver-white Katana on his hand…_

 **Samegawa Flood Plain  
05/14 Sat  
Afternoon**

Ever since he first used his ability, Minato was afraid he'll lose control of his power. He fears the day when he accidentally let his Shadow loose and end up hurting everyone on the team, especially Hamuko. Much to his relief, his doppelganger is quite easy to restrain and control. As long as he maintains his concentration, the Shadow will do exactly as he wants.

At least, that's what he used to think…

Back then, during his encounter with Sho, Minato could have sworn that he heard and felt something from the deepest, darkest part of his mind. It was nothing more than a whisper and a touch, but it was enough to make him lose his conscience for the briefest amount of time. Had he not regained control on time, he could have done something he would regret for his entire life.

"There you are, took me a while to find you…"

Minato doesn't even need to look to figure out who is standing behind him, as there is only one person that comes in his mind.

"This town is really amazing, isn't it? Despite what most people say, I think it's one of the most beautiful place to live in Japan…"

He does not know how to respond to that statement, simply because he never went somewhere else outside of Inaba. But he has to admit, the sceneries of this town are quite mesmerizing.

 _Hamuko-san, is it really alright for me to stay with you and the others?_

Minato is half-expecting Hamuko to reprimand him for asking such question. Instead, he soon found himself being caressed on his cheeks by the red-eyed girl.

"Minato, you're a very strong person… So strong that you may be able to do everything by yourself…" said Hamuko while smiling at him. "But, above all else, you're a very kind person… So kind that you always put others first…"

It was rather hard for Minato to accept her words because his Shadow has filled him with doubts. But Hamuko is looking at his eyes with such affectionate look that will melt everyone's hearts.

 _It feels like… I'm losing myself when I'm not with you…_

Much to Minato's surprise, Hamuko pulled him closer into her warm embrace.

"Then, why don't you live together with me? Actually, I had rented a small house at the shopping district, but it's still too spacious for me alone. It would be wonderful if you could stay with me again"

Hamuko let him go from the hug, but then she stretches her hand to him with a dazzling smile on her lips.

"Let's go home?"

Minato, who is still slightly shocked by her sudden gestures, couldn't help but return the smile as he accepted her offer by nodding his head and holding her hand. Maybe it doesn't really matter if his memories never returned, because Minato is now certain of one thing.

Whether it was in the past, or the present, he was helplessly in love with this girl…

* * *

 _Being deeply loved gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage_

 _\- Lao Tzu_

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**

My deepest apology to all beloved readers for making you all wait this long... Two weeks ago I got caught in an unfortunate accident and had to get several stitches on my left hand. It really hampered my ability to finish this chapter on time, thus the delay. Nevertheless, I'll make it up to you guys for the late update by writing the next chapter as soon as I can. Please look forward to **another chapter of Silent Prayer within two weeks time**.

Like usual, I'd like to present my special thanks to ditobayupraliestiyo, NewbieFanficter, Qamilla, Nightly7 (better known as Tatsuya Goddamn Suo/Goddamn MC), mocasiotorres27, Frankly Forgotten, Synndraval and silgain for posting their reviews on my previous chapter. I'd also like to point out that **there is no review that is too long or too short for me to read.** So, feel free to write as much as you want! Reading your reviews is actually my greatest joy as a writer, and it really boost my spirit whenever any of you favorited or followed this story.

As another token of my apology, I will enlighten both my faithful and new readers about my view of the three main protagonist in this fic:

 **Hamuko Kirisaki  
**

My portrayal of Hamuko (or Minako, however you wish to call her :D) is slightly different than the others. During the P3 event of this fic, she is still our beloved bubbly girl with cheerful disposition and kind-hearted nature. However, because of what happened to her parents, she also holds deep resentment toward the Shadows (especially Death). This makes her relationship with Minato a bit complicated, even more so when she learned the truth about the incident at the Moonlight Bridge. After the conclusion of P3 event, Hamuko has grown yet again to become a dependable young woman as she is now. Overall, the Big Sis of the Investigation Team and the mentor of Yu Narukami.

For argument's sake, if you were to ask me to rate her power, it would be: Attack 3/5, Defense 5/5, Agility 4/5

 **Minato Arisato**

While I have to admit that Minato's raw ability is slightly overpowered, this is only because he had already reached the peak of his growth. I can't say much without spoiling anything too important, but I can tell you that Minato's circumstance is a bit different compared to the original game (he still had Death sealed inside him, but there is more to it than that).

His power rates are as follows: Attack 4/5, Defense 3/5, Agility 5/5

 **Yu Narukami**

Some of you might even wonder why Yu isn't as powerful as Minato or as reliable as Hamuko, but I believe it's only natural because he just started his own journey. It would be weird if it was like P4G The Animation where he can literally one-shotted everything without barely any training. Of course, he will eventually surpass both Hamuko and Minato, but like a certain red-eyed girl said, he still has a long journey ahead of him.

At the conclusion of this fic, his power should be rated like this: Attack 5/5, Defense 4/5, Agility 3/5

That will be all for the author's note section. Again, **please R &R and look forward to the next chapter.**


	6. New Allies

_**-The Memoirs-  
Iwatodai Dormitory  
04/18 Sat  
Evening**_

" _Would you believe me if I told you that a day consists of more than twenty four hours?"_

 _Those are the first words that come out from the Chairman's mouth after Hamuko, Yukari, Minato, Akihiko and Mitsuru sit down together in a room with large electronic console. If Ikutsuki asked that question to someone else, he would probably be laughed at. But Hamuko had waited years for someone to ask her that._

" _Yes"_

 _It is obvious to Hamuko that her answer does not match their expectation, given their surprised expression._

" _Sorry, come again?" said Akihiko._

" _Yes, I believe you…" She repeated her answer. "It's that moment when everything is covered in blood, and everyone else turned into coffins, isn't it?"_

" _Y-Yes, you are correct" Ikutsuki stuttered between his words. "Can you tell us how long has it been since you first experienced this phenomenon?"_

" _I was six years old at the time, so… Ten years"_

 _Yukari is looking at her in awe while Mitsuru, Akihiko and Ikutsuki are obviously confused by her answer. Minato, however, remains as stoic as ever._

" _Ten years… That's even longer than Mitsuru-senpai…" Yukari murmured._

" _But Mr. Chairman, why didn't the Shadows preyed on her yet? She only awakened her Persona not too long ago…" Akihiko asked the bespectacled man._

" _I'm afraid I still don't know the answer to that question…" Ikutsuki sighed. "But her ability goes beyond what we know so far. Not only can she changes her Persona, but she can also wield two of them at the same time. As a scientist, I'm greatly interested with her unique ability"_

 _Hamuko does not know if she enjoyed being considered as a test subject by the creepy scientist. But she decided to ignore it for the time being._

" _Mr. Chairman, shouldn't we continue where we left off? I think it's best for Hamuko-san to get her rest soon"_

 _Minato, who have finally spoken at last, urges Ikutsuki to continue his explanation._

" _Ah, please pardon me. In any case, Hamuko is correct. This phenomenon that you just described, we refer to it as the Dark Hour. It is a time anomaly that appears every night at midnight" Ikutsuki explained to her._

" _Only a select few people who have the potential to summon a Persona can experience it. Those without the potential transmogrify into a coffin, oblivious to all things that happened during the Dark Hour" added Mitsuru._

" _I see… Does this Dark Hour that you spoke of is related to that gigantic tower that I saw the other night?"_

 _Again, it seems that her question had caught them off guard. She can even hear Mitsuru chuckling to herself._

" _Arisato had foreseen your sharp mind to deduce the truth, but I never expected you to be this keen" said Mitsuru._

 _Minato did? But, she barely spoke to him ever since the day she first arrived here. How could he predict such thing?_

" _That tower you saw is called Tartarus. It serves as a nest to the Shadows, the same kind of monster that you fought last week" Minato explained. "Our goal is to ascend the structure and unveil whatever truth hidden inside it"_

" _But, like Minato just said, there will be plenty of Shadows infesting that place, so we'll have to wipe them out too. Pretty exciting, don't you think?" Akihiko smirked at her._

" _Akihiko! You just got hurt the other day! This isn't a game!" Mitsuru glared at the grey-haired boy, which causes him to cower in fear._

" _In other word, you'd like me to join your group in your expedition to the Tartarus"_

" _Precisely! I'm glad you're quick to understand what we were saying" Ikutsuki throws her a smile while showing her a white suitcase which contains an armband and a silver gun. "We have already prepared your armband and your Evoker, should you accepted our invitation"_

" _Wait, hold on a second. Isn't it too soon for her to decide? She only recovered yesterday…" said Yukari._

" _Yukari, I understand your concern, but I have little to no doubt that Tartarus is the key to eliminating the Dark Hour. Of course, Hamuko is free to decline our invitation without suffering any drawback, but her ability is invaluable to our cause. Besides, won't it be more comfortable for you to cooperate with your own classmate?" said Ikutsuki._

" _Yeah, but still…"_

" _Yukari, thank you for worrying about me, but I'm fine. I'd like to join this group as well"_

" _Are you sure? There's no turning back…" said Yukari._

" _Yes. Although, my goal is not as noble as saving the world…" said Hamuko while taking the suitcase in front of her. "One of those monsters took my parents away from me. I want to avenge them…"_

* * *

" _Minato-san, do you have a moment?"_

 _Minato, who is going for the stairs leading to the 2_ _nd_ _floor, paused when she called for him._

" _Yes, Hamuko-san? What is it?"_

" _I just noticed that I haven't thanked you yet for saving my life last week, so…"_

 _The blue-haired boy immediately shook his head when he understood what Hamuko is going to say._

" _Don't worry about it. By the way, how are you feeling? Have you been well?"_

" _To be honest, I'm still feeling a bit tired… But I should be back to normal by tomorrow morning"_

" _Is that so? Perhaps you should go to sleep earlier tonight…"_

" _Yeah, I think I'll do just that… Sorry for keeping you, Minato-san, you must be tired as well…"_

" _Not at all, I'm just glad you're okay. Good night, Hamuko-san, have a nice sleep"_

 _Minato throws her a smile before he leaves for the 2_ _nd_ _floor._

" _You know, that is the longest conversation anyone has ever had with Minato-kun…"_

 _Yukari, who just arrived from the 4_ _th_ _floor, greeted Hamuko._

" _Wait, were you eavesdropping on us?"_

" _Well, I don't want to butt in if my friend want to confess her love or something. I was a bit disappointed when you were just going to thank him" Yukari with a mischievous smile._

" _He saved my life, it's only natural for me to be thanking him. And what do you mean by what you said earlier?"_

" _I meant exactly as I said. Personally, I think Minato-kun is even harder to talk to than Mitsuru-senpai, and that's saying something"_

" _Maybe it's because you were afraid that you might fall for his dreamy eyes?"_

" _No, that's not it. Although, I have to admit that he is good looking and has great personality…" There is a slight tint of red on Yukari's face when she said those words. "Minato-kun is a good guy. It's just that… It feels like something about him is scaring me…"_

" _I don't know… On the contrary, it feels like I've met him before, he looks so familiar"_

 _Even though last week was supposed to be her first meeting with Minato, Hamuko can't shake the feeling that she had encountered the boy long before she transferred to Gekkoukan High School. But no matter how hard she tried, she just can't remember anything._

 _Maybe there is more to Minato than meets the eye…_

* * *

 **Yasogami High School  
05/17 Tue  
After School**

"Has the target arrived at school?!"

"Yes, Ma'am! Visual ID confirmed! Target arrived in-zone near the end of his mess break, with mother-issued rations in his hand. Current status: In the bathroom, fixing his hair!"

Minato was rather surprised when he learned that Yu and his friends have failed to obtain any meaningful information after they visit Kanji's house yesterday. However, after seeing the eccentric duo in action, he somehow understands the reason for their failure.

 _What in the world are they talking about?_

Minato turned to Yu, who merely shook his head in response. Instead, it was Yukiko who answered the question.

"Um… Hamuko-san is an investigator, isn't she? I think they were trying to mimic her while she was on duty…"

"Yeah, since I want to be a police officer in the future, I gotta master the art of stakeout!"

Minato doesn't know how a professional like Hamuko will act on a stakeout, but he's pretty sure it won't be nothing like what the two were doing just now.

"Shush! Keep it down! You're going to alert the target of our location!" said Yosuke.

It'd be nothing short of amazing if Kanji doesn't notice them, given their poorly-chosen hiding place, which is just at a corner in front of the school's main gate. Much to Minato's surprise, Kanji actually walked past them without noticing their presence. Not long after that, a rather peculiar young boy with a blue cap approaches the towering first-year student.

Yu had informed Minato and Hamuko that yesterday, they met someone who bears an uncanny resemblance to him. However, calling their appearances as resembling each other would be an understatement, at least that's what Minato is thinking after seeing the boy for himself. They both share the same 'smaller-than-average' build and similar dark blue hair with silvery grey eyes. If it weren't for their height difference, it would have been hard for anyone to distinguish Minato from that boy.

"My apologies, were you waiting for me?" the boy asked Kanji.

"No, I uh… I just got here myself"

"I see. Let's take a walk"

Kanji then follows the boy as they're walking down the street heading to the flood plain.

"They're getting away! What should we do?" asked Chie.

"Let's split up" said Yu. "Some of us should be keeping watch near his house, while the rest should follow them in secret"

"I see, that's a good idea" Yosuke nodded. "Alright, I guess I'll follow Kanji along with Chie…"

"Wait, why do I have to go with you?"

"You're not exactly the covert type, so…"

"What does that supposed to mean?!"

"See? You just proved my point!"

Minato sighed. At this rate, they're going to lose sight of Kanji before the two can finish their bickering with each other.

 _I'll be going with Yosuke and Chie._

"Yeah, you probably should…" Yu is looking at Yosuke and Chie with concern. "We'll contact you if anything comes up"

Minato nods his head. He then grabs Yosuke and Chie on their arms before they leave to follow their new potential ally and his enigmatic friend.

* * *

 **Samegawa Flood Plains  
05/17 Tue  
Afternoon**

"Nee-chan, don't you want to play in the river too?"

Hamuko was studying a certain file while sitting by the riverside when Nanako approached her from the river.

"Sorry, Nanako-chan… Nee-chan is still doing her homework" Hamuko smiles at the little girl who seems to be confused by her words.

"Homework? What kind of homework?"

"It's a secret" said Hamuko while placing her index finger on her lips before patting the little girl on her head. "Don't wander around too far, okay?"

Nanako happily nod as she return to play in the river. After making sure that Nanako keeps her words, Hamuko immediately re-focus her attention to the file on her hands.

Two days ago, Hamuko filed another report to Kikuno, who has temporarily taken over Mitsuru's place as the one in charge, regarding the figure known as Sho Minazuki. It wasn't easy, but thanks to the joint investigation of Aigis and Kikuno, they were able to piece together all the information about the red-haired young man.

It turns out that Sho was actually one of Ikutsuki's test subjects and an orphan, much like the members of Strega. The twisted scientist had them locked up for years to be experimented on, in order to create artificial Persona-users. According to the file, the young man used to be Ikutsuki's favorite because of his vast battle prowess compared to Takaya, Jin and Chidori. However, Sho was never able to awaken his Persona. Because of this, Ikutsuki threw him away as a failed experimental subject.

Hamuko felt pity for the young man because of his rough childhood, much like her own past. However, she can't just let him go either. If Sho is still planning on taking out the Investigation Team members, she will have no choice but to put him down. For good.

"Nee-chan, isn't that your friend?"

Nanako is pointing at a very familiar figure who is walking toward their direction with haste.

"Minato-kun? What are you doing here?"

Minato answered her question by gesturing at her to look at the riverbank. She can see Kanji Tatsumi and a stranger walking together side-by-side. Not far behind them were Yosuke and Chie, who are hiding behind one of the trees.

"Oh, were they on a stakeout?"

The boy nodded his head in response. However, he also writes a couple sentences in his memo to explain their current situation to her.

 _We're trying to eavesdrop on Tatsumi-san's conversation with that boy. But, things aren't looking too good at our end._

Hamuko can somewhat understand what Minato is saying. No matter how she look at them, both Yosuke and Chie are too conspicuous. If they wanted to get close to Kanji without him or his partner noticing, they should just pretend to walk together while making small talks. That way, they'll be able act more naturally. And even if they do get caught by Kanji, they can just make valid excuse such as wanting to go hang out at Junes together.

Hamuko's and Minato's worry turned into reality, because Kanji has finally noticed the suspicious pair hiding behind the trees. It's hard to figure out what Yosuke and Chie said to Kanji when he confronted them about having followed him from behind, but they somehow managed to piss him off because Hamuko and Minato can hear Kanji angry shout even from the riverside as their friends fled the scene.

"You two better hope I'll never see you again!"

Hamuko sighed. It'll be hard for her and Minato to stalk Kanji after they have alerted of him of any potential stalker.

"Well, I guess that's it for today's stakeout…" said Hamuko. "Minato-kun, you should probably regroup with them"

Minato nods his head before he writes a sentence on his memo.

 _What will you do, Hamuko-san?_

"I'll get Nanako-chan to her home first before returning to ours" said Hamuko with a smile. "See you later, Minato-kun"

* * *

 **Dojima Private Residence  
05/17 Tue  
Evening**

Yu let out a deep sigh when he finally arrived at his home with his clothes wet due to the rain outside. Today has been a long, tiring day. Not only they can't catch the culprit in the act, they were also unable to warn Kanji properly of the threat against him. He wondered if anything might show up at the Midnight Channel, since the rain doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon.

"Oh, you're back"

"Welcome home, big bro!"

When Yu entered the living room, he was greeted by his uncle Dojima and his 'little sister' Nanako.

"Hello uncle, Nanako-chan. You seem to be in a good mood today"

Yu can't help but smile at seeing the cheerful little girl.

"Yup! I played a lot today! Hamuko-neechan brought me to the river and it was a lot of fun!"

Dojima, who was reading a newspaper on the couch, suddenly throws his daughter a questioning look.

"Nanako, who is this 'Hamuko-neechan' that you were talking about?"

"She is Big Bro's friend, I met her when Big Bro brought me to Junes during the holiday"

"Hey, Yu…" Dojima turned to his nephew. "What was her name? Was it Hamuko Kirisaki?"

Yu is rather surprised by the fact that Dojima knew Hamuko on a personal level.

"Yes, you're right. How did you know her, uncle?"

"I met her last year when we were working together on a case. She might be young, she is already working as an investigator for a private security department…" Dojima explained. "But more importantly, how did _you_ know her?"

This isn't good. Depending on his answer, Yu might end up jeopardizing the Investigation Team by casting suspicion on himself and Hamuko.

"I met her back in April not long after I arrived in here. Apparently, Kirisaki-san was an acquaintance of the Amagi Family's daughter. Since Amagi-san and I were friends, we would often hang out together"

His answer might be a little too far-fetched, but it's the only logical explanation that comes to his mind. Yu can't possibly tell his uncle about Hamuko's real reason for coming to Inaba, but lying to a detective is a risky move. He decided to give Dojima a fabricated truth as his answer.

"Is that so? She looked like a good kid, but I don't know if I'm comfortable with leaving Nanako alone with her…" said Dojima.

"Hamuko-neechan _is_ a good person" Nanako pouted at her father's remark about her 'Big Sis'.

"I know…" Dojima sighed. "Sorry, I killed the mood again, didn't I? I'm going to bed early tonight. Yu, you should take a bath first before you have dinner, or else you'll catch a cold"

"Yeah, I probably should… Good night, uncle"

* * *

There are only several minutes left until the clock strikes midnight, and yet it doesn't seem like the rain will stop anytime soon. Yu is wondering whether a certain white-haired male will show up again on the Midnight Channel or not. Kanji is a tough guy, so it's unlikely for him to go down without a fight. However, the culprit must be a cunning and resourceful man if he was able to kidnap three highly conspicuous individuals without being noticed. He'll most likely adjust his approach in order to subdue Kanji covertly.

Come to think of it, Hamuko had mentioned to Yu that she just moved in together with Minato to a small house in the Shopping District. Maybe he should try to give them a phone call, to see if they noticed anything or anyone suspicious near the vicinity of the Tatsumi residence after the team left the site this afternoon.

…

…

*click*

"Hello, Hamuko-san. My apologies for calling you at this late hour"

" _No, it's okay. I was about to call you myself"_ answered Hamuko from over the phone.

"Why? Is something wrong?" asked Yu.

" _Yes…"_ Hamuko paused for a moment before continuing her sentence. _"It seems that Kanji Tatsumi never returned to his home today. Minato-kun and I have tried looking for him everywhere, but we can't find him. Our culprit may have already thrown him inside the TV"_

"I see… I had feared that something like this would happen..." Yu let out a deep sigh. This is just like what happened with Yukiko when she was kidnapped. "What about his mother? Is she alright?"

" _She's fine, albeit still a bit shocked by the news of her missing son. So, does this mean that Kanji's Shadow will be making an appearance on the Midnight Channel?"_

"I guess we'll see… It's almost midnight…"

Not long after Yu said that, the TV in his room suddenly begin to flicker. For a moment, there is nothing but fog shown on its screen. After that, the fog slowly dissipates, revealing a place that resembles a large bathhouse or a sauna and a familiar-looking male.

Wait, is that Kanji wearing a _fundoshi_?

"Hello, dear viewers… I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi, reporting from this 'bad bad bathhouse'! Tonight, I'm gonna introduce you to a sacred site filled with sublime love that surpasses the boundary of the sexes!"

Yu can feel a chill crawl up his back when he heard the sickening sweet voice.

"Goodness gracious, just imagine the things that might happen to me there! Well then, let's get this show on the road. Tootaloo!"

Shadow Kanji winked at the camera and entered the bathhouse behind him, before TV turned off again by itself.

"Hamuko-san… Did you saw…?"

" _Yes, that was really, uh… unexpected…"_ It was unusual for Hamuko to stammer with her words. _"Was it like that too when Yukiko-chan's Shadow appeared on the Midnight Channel?"_

"Uh, yeah, sort of…" Yu answered.

" _I see… Then, what would you have us do? It's your call"_

It will be a while until the fog covers the town again. Even if they took their time to prepare and explore the TV world at a leisure pace, they should be able to save Kanji in time. However…

"I think it's better if we save Kanji as soon as possible. There is no guarantee that nothing bad will happen to him even if the fog hasn't appeared yet"

" _I agree, nothing was certain about that world, after all… Very well, make sure you call everyone else and have them empty their schedule for tomorrow afternoon. I'll tell Minato-kun about this"_

"Understood. See you tomorrow, Hamuko-san"

* * *

 **The Midnight Channel  
05/18 Wed  
Afternoon**

"Hey, Teddie! What do you mean you can't find him?!" asked Yosuke.

The Investigation Team were about to set out to save Kanji when they bumped into a troubling matter.

"I just told you! I can smell someone else in here, but I don't know where he is!"

"This isn't good…" Yu murmured to himself. "We can't just wander aimlessly in this world, it'll be too dangerous…"

"I agree…" Hamuko nods her head. "If only Fuuka was here…"

"Err… Who is Fuuka?" asked Chie.

"She's my friend. Her Persona has a scanning ability similar to Teddie here, albeit much more powerful" answered Hamuko.

Unfortunately, her words only succeeded in crushing Teddie's pride even further.

"Sorry, Sensei… I'm such a useless bear…"

"There, there. I'm sure we can solve this problem" Yu is comforting Teddie by patting him on his head.

"Hamuko-san, would it be possible for you to request help from your friend?" asked Yukiko.

"Unfortunately, she's among my injured friends who are still recuperating after the incident with Sho Minazuki… I doubt she'll be able to make it here on time"

Among all the Persona-users that Hamuko has ever encountered, there's no one more unique than Fuuka, with the exception of Yu. Even when she still had the power of the Wild Card, Hamuko was never able to demonstrate the same kind of sensing ability as Fuuka. Because of this, Mitsuru would often seek out her cooperation to carry out missions where failure is not an option.

"Teddie, is there something we can do to help you locate Kanji?" asked Yu.

"I don't know, maybe if Sensei and the others can tell me more about this guy, I might able to smell him"

"Maybe isn't good enough… Are you sure about this, Ted?" said Yosuke.

"We have no choice. We'll just have to put our faith in him" said Yu. "The question is, where can we get more information about Kanji? I don't think we can find out anything new from his mother…"

"Why don't we try asking that mysterious boy who was hanging out with Kanji yesterday? Who knows, maybe he know something that we don't" said Chie.

"That's actually a good idea" Yukiko nods her head. "But where would we find him? For all we know, he could be anywhere"

Just when they were wondering about what to do, Hamuko can feel someone taps her shoulder. It was Minato.

"Yes, Minato-kun? What is it?"

The blue-haired boy responded by showing her his memo, where he just wrote a single word on one of its pages.

 _Junes._

"Junes? What do you mean, Minato-san?" asked Yu.

Minato does not immediately answer his question. Instead, he spends some time writing his response on the memo.

 _I overheard some girls talking to each other this morning. It appears that the boy has been hanging around at Junes in the morning these last few days._

"I see, that was perceptive of you to notice such thing" Yu complimented Minato before turning to a certain red-eyed girl. "Sorry, Hamuko-san… It seems that we will have to leave this matter to you…"

"It's okay. Actually, I was rather curious too about that boy whom you said is very similar to Minato-kun" said Hamuko with a reassuring smile. "I wonder what kind of person he is…"

* * *

 _ **-The Memoirs-  
Tartarus  
04/20 Mon  
The Dark Hour**_

" _This is Tartarus, the labyrinth that only appears during the Dark Hour" Mitsuru explained to her juniors when they entered the lobby area._

 _Tartarus… If Hamuko recalls correctly, that's the terminology used in ancient Greek mythology to describe the deep abyss where the souls of the wicked are tortured for eternity. However, unlike the mythical place where it was based on, this Tartarus appears as an impossibly tall and gigantic structure._

" _Building up your experience is important, so we're going to have you clear out the first few floors" said Akihiko._

" _Wait, by ourselves? Won't you be coming with us, Senpai?" asked Yukari._

" _Unfortunately, Akihiko will only hinder you because of his injury" The boxer is looking somewhat disappointed when Mitsuru said that. "And the structure of Tartarus is constantly changing, so you will need my support to direct you from the outside"_

 _Well, that sure made everything more complicated…_

" _We will also appoint one of you as a leader, in order to keep things under control when you're in there" said Akihiko._

" _For real?! Me, me, me, pick me!"_

 _Junpei's excitement is obvious to everyone. While his enthusiasm is eye-catching, Hamuko doubts that Akihiko will pick him because of his impulsiveness. Yukari lacked self-confidence with her own ability. The fact that she have yet to receive an actual battle experience only makes it worse. On the other hand, Minato is both an experienced and a composed individual. The answer should be pretty obvious._

"… _You're in charge"_

 _Much to Hamuko's surprise, Akihiko didn't pick Minato like she had predicted. Instead, he points his finger in her direction._

" _Wait, what? Why me?"_

" _Yeah, why her?!" Junpei exclaimed. "Oh, uh… No offense to Hamu-tan, but why didn't you pick me or even Minato?"_

 _Hamuko wasn't really offended by Junpei's opinion. In fact, if she were in Akihiko's shoes, she would choose Minato too as their leader._

" _Well, she has fought them, you know…" said Yukari._

" _That's true, but there's something else" Akihiko pulled out his evoker before pointing it to his forehead. "Can you two summon your Personas without any difficulties, like she can?"_

" _Y-Yeah, of course I can!" said Junpei. Even though he's trying his best to sound confident, Hamuko can sense a bit of hesitation in his words._

" _I think so" said Yukari._

" _These are Shadows we're talking about. I won't even bother to warn you about the stake if you failed to summon your Persona in there"_

 _He made a good point. There are limits to how well they can fight the Shadows with just their weapon. But still…_

" _That doesn't explain why you didn't choose Minato-san, though"_

" _Indeed, there's no mistaking that Arisato would make a good leader too" This time, it was Mitsuru who answered her question. "However, he had declined this position before we can even discuss it with him…"_

 _Hamuko, Yukari and Junpei are all staring at Minato with disbelief._

" _I just don't think myself as a capable leader. I believe Hamuko-san is more suited than me for the task" said Minato with a smile._

" _Of course, we can't force you to take this great responsibility. However, at this rate, we won't be going anywhere" Mitsuru is looking at her with a tender expression. "Kirisaki, will you accept this duty?"_

 _It's just like Mitsuru said, if they can't even make a decision on this trivial matter, they won't be achieving any significant result from the exploration of Tartarus. That means, they won't be able to learn the necessary information to end the Dark Hour, and she will never be able to avenge her parents. There is no other choice._

" _I understand… I will do my best"_

" _Thanks, I knew we can count on you" Mitsuru is thanking her genuinely from the bottom of her heart._

" _Now that it's settled, why don't you all start exploring now? We don't have much time before the Dark Hour ends" said Akihiko._

 _The juniors nodded their heads. But, before they can ascend the stairs leading to deeper part of Tartarus, something caught Hamuko's attention. A blue door suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the corner of the lobby._

" _Senpai, where does that door lead?"_

" _Huh? What door?" Akihiko is looking at her with confused expression._

 _It seems that Hamuko is the only capable of seeing the door. Ignoring the others, she decided to approach the blue object before touching the knob with her hands. As soon as she does that, Hamuko can feel her consciousness slowly disappearing in a bright light…_

* * *

" _Welcome to the Velvet Room"_

 _The first thing that Hamuko saw when she opened her eyes is a familiar old man with bulging eyes and elongated nose._

" _You're the one I saw in my dream… Igor, was it?"_

" _You are correct, my dear guest. I'm glad that you remember me" Igor is chuckling to himself. "It seems that you are now taking your first step of your journey. The tower that lies in front of you… How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are still far from capable enough to reach the answers…"_

 _Hamuko barely knows anything about the creepy old man, but there is one thing that is certain. Igor sure loves to speak in riddles._

" _Do you know something about my powers?"_

" _Ah, indeed I do. Your power is unique. It's like the number zero: empty, but holds infinite potential"_

" _Come again?"_

" _You, my dear, are able to summon multiple Personas and use them_

 _Igor must be referring to that time when Hamuko first awaken her Persona…_

" _I suppose you were the one who gives me my power?"_

" _Nay, my dear... I am but a mere servant to the one who bestow it upon you. And I have been tasked to assist you to my utmost limit"_

 _Hamuko can only wonder about the nature of this entity, and for what purpose does it bestow this power upon her._

" _I will tell you again about how I can be of use to you. But first, I should introduce you to my attendants"_

 _The moment Igor snapped his finger, two humanoid beings appear from behind him. One of them is a slender woman while the other is a tall man. They both have similar facial features that consist of a pair of golden eyes and white hair. They're also wearing the same blue-colored clothing while carrying two similar tomes on their hands._

" _My name is Elizabeth, pleased to meet you"_

" _My name is Theodore, but please, call me Theo"_

 _Hamuko responded to their greetings simply by nodding her head._

" _Now, I shouldn't keep you for too long. My spare time will also soon grow scarce, but please, come again at your own accord" said the old man._

" _Just one last thing…" said Hamuko. "Is this all real? Or is it only happening inside my mind?"_

" _Of course it's happening inside your mind…" Igor is chuckling to himself. "But why should it mean it's not real?"_

 _Hamuko finds her consciousness drifted away again in a blinding light as soon as Igor said those words._

* * *

" _Hey… What happened to her?"_

" _Dunno, maybe she has become like one of those zombies in the news…"_

" _Really? A zombie?"_

 _Her answer caught her friends off guard as they were surprised by her sudden response._

" _That's what you choose to dwell on?! C'mon, Hamu-tan, you were supposed to be our leader!"_

 _A certain blue-haired boy ignored the capped boy as he approached Hamuko with a concerned look on his face._

" _Hamuko-san, are you alright? For a few seconds, you just stood there while staring at that wall"_

 _It seems that time flows at a different pace when she was in the Velvet Room. Even though Hamuko was sure that she had spent more than a couple minutes in that mysterious place, only a few seconds had passed in the real world._

" _Sorry, I'm okay" Hamuko smiled at Minato. "Let's go, we've wasted enough time"_

* * *

 **Junes  
05/19 Thu  
Morning**

For as long as she could remember, Naoto never really liked the countryside.

Unlike the big city where she grew up, the climate in a countryside such as Inaba can be very unpleasant. Even though it's halfway through spring, she can still feel the chill in the air. If it weren't for her job, she would never think about visiting this town.

Nevertheless, Naoto wouldn't let trivial things such as the climate gets in the way of her objective. If she can work on the Inaba serial murder case by enduring this cold weather, then endure she shall. Still, a hot cup of coffee might be nice to begin her day…

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"

Naoto can hear someone is greeting her from behind. It was a young female around the age of 18 with auburn hair and red eyes.

"Forgive me, but who are you?"

"Ah, my apologies. My name is Hamuko Kirisaki. I'd like to talk to you for a moment, if you don't mind" said the girl while offering her hand.

She is probably just like everyone who mistook her as a cute boy. Naoto would rather have this free time to herself, but she can't just reject the girl's request. If Naoto can't maintain her social image, it would be hard for her to ask the surrounding population to cooperate with her investigation.

"Of course not. My name is Naoto Shirogane. Please have a seat, Kirisaki-san" said Naoto while shaking the outstretched hand.

The girl smiled in gratitude before sitting on the opposite chair. Immediately after that, a waiter approached them.

"Welcome to Junes! Would you like to order something?"

"Yes, please. I'd like a cup of coffee with cream and sugar" said the girl.

"Understood. What about you, sir?"

"I'll have a cup of coffee as well. Black, without cream and sugar"

The waiter nods his head before he leaves the two of them together.

"I wonder why he called you 'sir', when he should be calling you as a 'miss'"

It's a good thing that she only ordered the coffee just now, because Naoto would probably choke on her drink because of that sudden remark.

"How did you—"

"I didn't. You just admit it on your own"

Naoto can't believe she, of all people, would actually fall for one of the oldest tricks in history.

"Relax, Shirogane-san. Your secret is safe with me. I just thought I need to say something in order to catch your attention" said the girl with a smile.

Naoto regretted herself for letting her guard down. It's obvious that she had underestimated this woman.

"…What gives me away?"

"Your voice. Even though your laryngeal prominence isn't as developed as other boys in your age, you have a deeper voice than usual. That, and I can smell a faint fragrance of a certain body foam you used when you took a bath this morning. It was a rather popular brand among the ladies and it's the same kind that I used myself"

Her deduction is a bit unorthodox, but it's also very accurate. Nevertheless, there's no mistaking that this woman possesses a remarkable intelligence that can rivals her own.

"Alright, you've piqued my interest" said Naoto. "What do you want from me?"

"I only wish to know everything you've learned about Kanji Tatsumi. I know for a fact that you spoke with him a couple days ago"

"I did spoke with him last Monday, but I don't see why you were so interested in it. What are you really up to?"

"Ah, please wait a moment. I can't answer your question unless you've agreed to answer mine. Can I have your words that you will provide me with my desired information?"

It's not as if Naoto managed to obtain any confidential information out of Kanji, so even if she shared her knowledge with this girl, Naoto doubts it will be to her disadvantage. Besides, if by going through this deal means Naoto can learn more about this suspicious, then all the better.

"Very well, you have my words. And I believe you will answer my questions truthfully?" asked Naoto.

"Of course. You may go ahead and ask me your questions first"

The fact that Hamuko can easily control this conversation only made Naoto even more impressed with her cognitive skill.

"First of all, what is your involvement with the recent murder case?"

"Just like you, Shirogane-san, I'm a detective. I was sent here by my superior to investigate the case. Have you ever heard of a group known as the Shadow Operatives?"

Shadow Operatives… If Naoto recalls correctly, that is the name of a special security division of the Kirijo Group.

"Yes, but I wasn't aware that your organization has any jurisdiction in this matter. I thought that the Shadow Operatives only specialized in threat countermeasure, not law enforcement"

"Indeed, you are correct" said Hamuko with a smile. "However, we're investigating this case with a different approach than the police or any other detective agency. Rest assured that our goal is similar to yours, which is to prevent further loss of lives"

There isn't a single hint of falsehood in her statement, so it may be safe to assume that Hamuko was telling the truth to Naoto. That, or she is just a very good liar.

"Next, what are you planning to do with the information about Tatsumi-san?"

"It's very simple. You might have noticed this, but Kanji Tatsumi has been missing for quite some time. I have reasons to believe that he was kidnapped by the perpetrator of this murder case. Your information may prove useful in order for me to locate and rescue him before it's too late"

"How can you be so sure of this, when there hasn't been any evidence that may hint on the culprit?" asked Naoto.

"As I have said before, my approach is different than yours" Hamuko explained. "Unfortunately, I cannot reveal any details about how I arrived at my conclusion"

It doesn't seem like Naoto will be able to know more about her investigation method. Which means, there is only one thing left to ask…

"How do I know you're not the culprit?"

Hamuko merely smiles after hearing her words. It's as if she had predicted that Naoto would eventually ask her this question.

"I don't have any immediate evidence that I can show you to prove my innocence. Although, if I'm the culprit, I wouldn't dare cast the suspicion on myself by confronting a detective such as yourself" said Hamuko.

"Or you could be lying in order to mislead me"

"Perhaps… But our conversation won't be going anywhere if we're using that kind of reverse psychology, don't you agree?"

Of course, Naoto already knew that. But she wanted to figure out how Hamuko would respond to that question. If she was the one being accused as the murderer, Naoto would probably give the same answer.

Not long after Hamuko answered her question, Naoto can see the waiter from before walks toward their direction with two cups of coffee.

"Here you are, sir, one cup of black coffee. And this one is for the lady, with cream and sugar" said the waiter.

"Thank you"

The waiter merely nods his head as he returns to his duty.

"Now, Shirogane-san…" Hamuko took a quick sip of her coffee before calling Naoto's name. "I believe I have fulfilled my end of the bargain?"

"Yes… Very well, I will tell you everything I know about Kanji Tatsumi…"

* * *

"I see… So he was like that…"

"I'm not sure how my information could be of any use to you. After all, I only managed to learn trivial stuffs" said Naoto. "I should have warned you before you agreed to our deal"

"On the contrary, I think your information is more than sufficient" said Hamuko before leaving a small amount of money to pay for their coffees. "Thank you, Shirogane-san. I appreciate your cooperation"

"You're leaving already?"

"Yes, I need to make some preparation first before searching for Kanji Tatsumi…" The red-eyed girl took a quick glance as she said those words. "Don't worry, you can count on me to bring him home safely"

Maybe Naoto should try and follow this girl. If what Hamuko said about Kanji being kidnapped by the culprit is true, there is a high chance that she will be able to obtain a vital clue to this case.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Hamuko turned again to look at Naoto just when she's about to leave the food court area. "I would really appreciate it if you don't try to put me under surveillance. I'm afraid I'm not ready yet to reveal everything to you"

Naoto sighed. This is the first time that anyone has seen through her like this. Even if she continues to carry out her plan, Naoto doubts that Hamuko would let her see anything important.

"Your keen mind never ceases to amaze me… I definitely wouldn't want to antagonize you…"

"Likewise, I believe the feeling is mutual" Hamuko throws Naoto a smile before she leaves Junes.

* * *

 **The Midnight Channel  
05/19 Thu  
After School**

When Yu first saw Kanji on the Midnight Channel, he had braced himself for whatever things that may happen inside the TV. However, after the team arrived at the steamy bathhouse, Yu can feel his determination is wavering. This change in his heart was not caused by the Shadows. No, he would rather fight dozens of those repulsive creatures on his own instead of going inside Kanji's dungeon…

"C'mere, pussycat…"

 _Yep, we're screwed…_ Yu thought to himself.

"Oh… Such well-defined pecs…"

"There's no need to be scared…"

It sounded like Kanji is making multiple voices, as if he was rehearsing a play.

"Now, just relax…"

If anything, the voices only succeeded in making Yu feel even more awkward.

"Uhhhh... Kanji-kun is here… Isn't he?" asked Chie.

"Yup! The nose knows!" Teddie nods his head.

"Crap... This is so wrong in so many ways..." said Yosuke. It seems Yu is not the only one feeling uncomfortable by their current situation.

"What, this is just like Yukiko-chan's dungeon. We should be able to clear it in no time" said Hamuko.

"N-No! Mine's not like this!" Yukiko protested at the red-eyed girl's statement.

"That's not the point! Hamuko-san is a woman, but this is definitely dangerous for us men!" said Yosuke.

"What are you talking about? Look, even Minato-kun does not seem to be bothered at all"

It's just as Hamuko said, Minato is not showing any sign of discomfort on his face. In fact, his hardened expression indicates that Minato is as determined as ever.

"Well, I can't deny that I'd rather not go inside this place…" said Yu. "But, we can't just abandon Kanji nor can we leave it to the girls and Minato-san. We'll just have to go inside and rescue Kanji as fast as we can"

 _Hopefully, I won't have to regret ever saying that…_

"That's what I'd like to hear" Hamuko gives Yu a pat on his back. "I'll leave it to Yu to decide everything, as usual. Don't hesitate to order us around"

"Alright, we'll split up in two teams. Yosuke and Minato-san, you two are with me. The rest of you will go with Hamuko-san. Standby to regroup if you encounter a strong enemy or if you found the stairs"

Everyone nodded their heads in response before they enter the steamy bathhouse together.

* * *

The journey inside Kanji's dungeon is as grueling as Yu had anticipated. Not only the Shadows are harder to defeat, they are also attacking them in a larger group than usual. However, the Shadows aren't the only ones getting stronger. Despite being outnumbered, Yu can see Yosuke taking on multiple Monopolizing Cupids all by himself. Even though they showered him with arrows, Yosuke was able to evade every last one of them with relative ease. It must be thanks to his sparring session with Minato. Well, compared to dodging Minato's blitz attack, evading those arrows must have been pretty easy. It wasn't that long until Yu, Yosuke and Minato had decimated the group of Shadows, with only one Egotistical King remaining.

"Yosuke! That one is strong against electricity, try wind!" shouted Yu.

"Got it! Jiraiya!"

The summoned Persona unleashed a gust of air at the Shadow, cutting it with its razor sharp wind. The attack was not enough to finish the Egotistical King in one strike, as it still managed to summon a pair of Monopolizing Cupids in its near death state. However, Minato soon delivers a reverse roundhouse kick which obliterate the two minions before they can even let loose a single arrow. Not taking any chances, Yu drives his sword at the Egotistical King's abdomen before slashing upward, cleaving it in two as the pieces disappear completely.

"Phew! It's been a while since I'm sweating like this!" said Yosuke while wiping his sweat off his forehead.

"It's only natural, considering we have reached the 7th floor already" said Yu. "How about you, Minato-san? Are you okay?"

Minato only nodded his head in response to that question. However, the blue-haired boy remain focused on a certain door located not far from their current location.

"Is something wrong?" asked Yosuke.

"I think Minato-san is trying to say he feels something from beyond that door…" said Yu. "We should probably wait for the others before we go there"

Chie and Yukiko are still lacking in their combat prowess compared to Yosuke, but there's no doubt that they have grown too from their training with Minato. On top of that, Hamuko is with them, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about. However, Yu can't help but feel anxious with this place. He doesn't have a keen sense like Teddie, but even Yu can detect an absurd amount of ominous aura from beyond that door.

"Hey there! Are you guys okay?"

A voice suddenly echo through the bathhouse hallway as Chie, Yukiko, Teddie and Hamuko approach the males.

"Chie-chan, I'd prefer if you didn't raise your voice…" Hamuko sighed. "Shadows aren't deaf"

"Sorry, sorry… My bad" Chie is looking at the red-eyed girl apologetically.

"How are things on your end?" asked Yu.

"We've found the stairs… But there's a small problem…" said Yukiko.

"There's some sort of invisible barrier around the stairs, so we can't get through it" Hamuko explained. "Did you guys found anything strange on your way up here?"

"No, but there is one passage we haven't checked yet" answered Yosuke. "Minato-san and Yu said they can feel a presence from beyond that door"

"It might be Kanji-kun's Shadow… We'll check it together, but keep your guard up"

When the group opened the door, they can see a bulky humanoid Shadow standing at the middle of the hallway. Standing beside it was Shadow Kanji.

"Dear me, I remember saying this place is for men only. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm gonna have to ask my pal to ask you to leave"

Shadow Kanji gestured at the larger version of Daring Gigas to attack them, as he started to turn around and run away from the group of Persona-users.

The giant Shadow charges on them while trampling everything on its path. Despite its large size, this Daring Gigas is capable of moving even quicker than its smaller version. However, its carnage was stopped when Hamuko blocked its punch with her sword.

"Ippon-Datara!"

The one legged Persona immediately cast a dark incantation circle on the Shadow. If Yu recalls correctly, Daring Gigas are weak against light and darkness attack. Using a Mudo skill should finish this fight in no time. Unfortunately, his expectation is soon crushed, as the Shadow merely shrugs off the attack without any visible effect.

"Be careful, Sensei! That Shadow is immune against light and darkness skill!" shouted Teddie.

That means his new trump card, the Fusion Spell – Justice, won't have any effect on it as well… It looks like Yu will have to resort to his usual tactic.

"Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, stay back and prepare your elemental attack. Wait for my command" Yu signaled his friend to keep their distance from the Daring Gigas. "Hamuko-san and Minato-san, you two know what to do"

Both Hamuko and Minato nod their heads simultaneously.

"Let's go!"

* * *

4 minutes and 22 seconds. That was the time they needed in order to vanquish the humanoid Shadow.

Considering that Hamuko and Minato himself barely did anything except drawing its attention away, Yu and the others did a pretty good job. Of course, if both Hamuko and Minato had fought seriously, this battle would be concluded instantly. But the red-eyed girl had insisted to let their less-powerful members gain some experiences. Minato realized this was all because of that Sho Minazuki person.

When Sho declared his intention to kill the members of the Investigation Team, he also said that he's willing to wait until they have gained more members to their ranks. However, there's no telling if the red-haired man will stay true to his words. And, in spite of their best efforts, Minato and Hamuko may not always be there to protect their friends. In the end, Yu might the only one among his peers who is capable of rivalling Sho. However, it is imperative for the other members to grow stronger as well. At the very least, strong enough to last a confrontation with the red-haired man until Minato or Hamuko comes to their rescue.

"Hey guys… Doesn't it seem like that Shadow is guarding something?" asked Chie.

"Now that you mention it, it is weird…" Yukiko murmured to herself. "We've already found the stairs, so this passage should be a dead end"

"Look, there are some treasures over there!" Yosuke exclaimed when he saw two small red chests not far from their current location. "Maybe those are what that Shadow was guarding"

"Wait!"

Before Yosuke can open one of the small chests, he was stopped by Hamuko, who grabbed him by his sleeve.

"Did you hear that?" asked Hamuko.

Everyone went silent and listened to their surroundings. Now that they've paid more attention, there's a weird sound coming from the chest. It sounded like…

"Chains…" Yu whispered to the others. "I hear the sound of rattling chains coming from that chest…"

"What does that mean? Hamuko-san?" asked Yukiko.

Everyone turned their attention to the red-eyed girl.

"I know this presence… Let's leave it alone, the other chest should contain what we're looking for"

"Is it a Shadow?" asked Yu.

"Yes, but it is beyond any of you… If possible, I'd rather not fight it too…"

Hamuko's answer made them back away several steps from the red object. However, instead of retreating, Minato walked closer toward the chest.

There's no doubt that whatever it is lurking inside this thing is something fearsome. Otherwise, Hamuko wouldn't say something like that. On top of that, the ominous aura emanating from the chest is very similar to that of his Shadow. But for some reason, Minato can feel himself being drawn to it, as his body moves on its own. Or rather, it was his Shadow who controlled his body subconsciously. The key to uncovering his past must be residing in this chest. All he has to do is open it…

"Minato-kun…"

Minato stopped moving on his own when he heard Hamuko called his name. She didn't say anything else, but there's an unmistakable sorrow reflected on her expression.

The blue-haired boy sighed. That was the 2nd time he nearly succumbed to his darker self. He needs to find a way to restrain the raging beast inside him, otherwise he will end up losing himself completely.

He remembered the words that an entity once told him many days ago. Somehow, Minato began to understand the meaning behind it all.

 _Tread your path carefully… For one wrong step will costs you what you hold dear the most…_

In other words,

 _Abandon his true nature… Or embrace it, and risk losing his dearest maiden… Forever…_

* * *

"This is it. Kanji must be beyond this door"

By the time they arrived at the 11th floor, everyone except Yu, Hamuko and Minato himself were drenched by their own sweats. It's only natural, though, considering that they have explored this whole place within just a couple hours. Minato was about to restore them back to normal with his healing power when Hamuko intervenes him.

"Minato-kun, please conserve your strength. We don't know what might happen next"

The blue-haired boy was slightly confused by Hamuko's words. It's true that rejuvenating his friends costs him more stamina than just summoning his Shadow. However, it was nowhere near enough to reduce his own performance in battle to a noticeable degree. On top of that, he still has plenty left to spare because he barely did anything up until now.

"But, Hamuko-san… Won't it be better for all of us to work together?" asked Yu.

"I know, but please… Don't waste any more energy than necessary"

Minato nods his head to her request as he proceeds to heal the rest of the team. While he was still unsure of her intention, Hamuko never done anything without reason. He should just put his faith in her and do as she asked. Restoring their mental capacity to use their Personas should be enough for now.

"Thanks. Now, are you guys ready?" asked Yu.

Everyone nodded their head before they unlocked the door leading to the final area by using a key they had obtained earlier. There, they can see the real Kanji being confronted by his own Shadow.

"Hey, this is my private sanctuary. What are you girls doing here, hm? I told you that only men are allowed in here"

"Shut up! We ain't here for you!" answered Chie.

"See? I was right to think badly of them women… They shouted at us, they mocked us… Why can't they accept us for who we are?"

It's obvious to see that Kanji grows nervous with every words that his Shadow muttered.

"I… I don't…"

"Don't tell me that you're going to deny everything I said. We both know how scary women are compared to men"

"L-Like hell, I ain't scared of 'em!"

"Um… Shouldn't we stop him before his Shadow gone berserk?" asked Yukiko.

"If we do that, Kanji-kun will never be able to face himself again…" said Hamuko.

The rest of the team could on nod their heads silently as they simply let things unfold.

"Ooh, how I hate girls… So arrogant and self-centered! Men are much better… Yes, I vastly prefer men"

"Screw that! What makes you think you can say that with my face?!"

"Because, my dear self… I am you and you are me. Don't you think it's time for you to accept me?"

"No! There's no way in hell that you're me!"

The moment Kanji said that, his Shadow was immediately surrounded by thick black aura as it transform into something else.

"Ahahaha! You're me, and there's no denying it!"

Shadow Kanji emerges from the black aura as a large half-black, half-white extremely muscular figure. It carries two Mars symbols made out of metal as its weapon. To make things worse, Shadow Kanji was immediately joined by a duo of humanoid Shadows with similar black and white color.

Since they're now fighting to save Kanji, there is no reason to hold back anymore. Even though Minato's not that comfortable with it, the fastest way to end this fight is by calling forth his doppelganger. As soon as he summons his own Shadow, the duo lunge at Shadow Kanji, intending to pierce its chest with their spear hands. But, before their stabbing attack could even reach their target, they were abruptly stopped by an invisible barrier that is protecting Shadow Kanji.

The two muscular Shadows that were accompanying Shadow Kanji retaliated by throwing their punches at the smaller duo. Fortunately, both Minato and his doppelganger were able to evade the attacks on time by jumping backwards before kicking the two Shadows at their side with devastating force, separating them all. However, Shadow Kanji immediately raises its metal weapons above the small figures, intending to smash them under his w

"Hamuko-san, you're up!"

"Got it!"

Shadow Kanji's attempt to strike down Minato and his Shadow was prevented by the red-eyed girl, who blocked the two Mars symbols simultaneously with her Katana and its scabbard. Despite their massive difference in size and build, Hamuko doesn't seem to have any trouble defending herself against the Goliath.

"My apologies, but I can't let you harm that man"

"A woman! I'll get rid of you first!"

As long as that barrier still exists, Hamuko won't be able to deal any damage to Shadow Kanji, even with her sword unique ability to cut through any resistance. However, Shadow Kanji's attempt to hurt Hamuko is just as futile, because of her formidable defense. The two combatants were locked in a stalemate.

"Sensei, you'll have to defeat those two Shadows first before you can attack the big one!" Teddie, who just relocated the unconscious Kanji to a save area, warned Yu.

"Can you tell us their weaknesses?" asked Yu.

"One of them is weak against fire, while the other is weak against ice. They're both immune to wind, light and darkness attack!"

Yukiko, who immediately understands what she need to do, summoned her Persona to conjure a fiery blast upon the two muscular Shadows. The one whom the real Minato fought merely deflects the attack, while the other one suffers a large burn scar on its chest.

"There! That one is weak to fire!" said Yukiko.

"Alright, good job! Yosuke, go with Yukiko and help Minato-san's Shadow. Chie, you and I will take down the other one. We'll hit it together with ice spells!"

Minato can't help but feel amazed by the young man's ability to assess their current situation, which allows him to employ the most effective battle formation.

The clock is ticking… Minato will have to hurry and finish his enemies before he lose control of his Shadow again. Otherwise, there will be one more adversary to worry about…

* * *

Shadow Kanji is by no means a pushover. Despite its strange form, its brute force and large size are more than enough to become a significant threat for the Investigation Team. According to Hamuko's estimation, Shadow Kanji is at least three times stronger than the Daring Gigas that was guarding the 7th floor. On top of that, it also has that impregnable barrier which is strong enough to guard against her special armament.

However, in spite of all those strengths, Shadow Kanji was unable to inflict even a scratch on the red-eyed girl. No matter how ferocious its attacks are, Hamuko would always deflect them. If she was armed by a regular weapon, it would have been broken already the moment she first clashed against Shadow Kanji. But, fortunately for Hamuko, she poses two decisive advantages in this death match.

First, her unique ability allows her to exchange blows with the goliath without any trouble. Of course, Yu and Minato are more than capable to stand their own ground against this Shadow. However, in this situation where attacking the target is not an option, her power is well-suited for the task.

Second, her enemy refuses to engage anyone else besides Hamuko herself. If Shadow Kanji focus its attention toward the others, it might be able to turn the table to its favor. But no, the Shadow merely opted to target Hamuko and Hamuko alone because of its grudge against women. This allows the red-eyed girl to keep it occupied while the others are fighting its minions. All that remains is to wait for her friends to dispel this barrier.

"Minato-san, this one is weakened! Finish it!" shouted Yu.

Hamuko managed to observe the entire battlefield for a while before she dodged an overhead smash from Shadow Kanji. It seems that Yu and Chie succeeded in stunning one of the smaller Shadows with their ice attacks, leaving it vulnerable. Shadow Minato complied by jumping over the muscular figure while clutching to its neck. The ghastly figure then lands precisely behind the Shadow while supporting the vertebrae area, breaking its neck with a loud cracking noise.

Compared to the real Minato who prefer to use non-lethal attacks, Shadow Minato prefer to use deadly force as its combat style. No doubt, it was because of the thing that resides deep inside Minato himself. Still, Hamuko can't help but worry for her the blue-haired boy. It's apparent that Minato's combat style continues to warp the longer he maintains his doppelganger. That's why Hamuko tried to convince Minato not to use his power more than necessary. Because she fears the day when Minato loses control, just like he did in his previous life.

It wasn't that long until the remaining minion was defeated as well. The smaller Shadow burst to tiny pieces when Yukiko and Yu set off a major explosion inside its body. Having two of its subordinates defeated, Shadow Kanji threw itself into a fit of rage.

"No, my babes! You will suffer for that!"

This isn't good… Now that it has gone berserk, Shadow Kanji might use a powerful attack that can cover a wide range, just like Shadow Yukiko once did. To make things worse, they have two additional members to protect, which means her defensive ability would be rendered ineffective against the upcoming danger.

There's no other choice. Hamuko will have to use _that_ …

"Everyone, please draw its attention for a few seconds!"

After hearing her request, Minato soon moves to intercept Shadow Kanji. He is followed by Yu, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko, who relentlessly bombard it with their elemental spells.

If they can no longer defend against the raging Shadow, they only need to kill it before it can unleash its onslaught.

Hamuko grips the sharp blade of her sword with both her hands, causing them to bleed profusely from the wounds. Ignoring the pain, Hamuko rubs her blood all over its blade before she re-sheath it inside the scabbard. As soon as she does that, her Katana began to hover in the air with its color turning from silver-white to jet-black. The radiant glow that was emanating from the sword is now replaced by a vortex of black haze that envelopes everything in darkness. During this moment, everyone except Hamuko herself were helplessly frozen in suspended animation. With the power of time and space at her command, the red-eyed girl utters a single word that will vanquish her enemy. The name of her sword.

"Umbra"

It all happened in an instant. A streak of light is flashing in the dark like a falling star that cuts through the night sky. Then, everything return to normal as the darkness starts to disappear into nothingness. The black Katana is nowhere to be seen, and there is no visible aftermath to the surrounding area. But moments later, when the team turn their attentions back to their enemy, they began to notice a slight difference.

Shadow Kanji was cut in half right at its center, separating its white side from the black side. The Goliath lets out one last roar of pain before it dissipates and reverts to its original, smaller form.

Hamuko merely smiles at her friends, who were looking at her with both surprise and amazement. Their reactions were to be expected, given that was her first time using Umbra 2nd form in front of them. While its destructive power is no less potent than the Fusion Spell – Armageddon, it still gives her the same debilitating effect which renders her immobile for a period of time. Fortunately for Hamuko, Minato was there to catch her before she slumps onto the floor.

"I'm okay, Minato-kun. You don't have to heal me…"

The blue-haired boy, however, refuses her request as he envelopes his hands around hers to heal her wounds.

"Hamuko-san! Are you alright?"

Yu and the others soon rush to her side with concerned expression on their faces.

"Yup, just pushed myself a bit too hard" Hamuko throws them a reassuring smile. "More importantly, you know what to do next…"

Everyone nod their heads as they turn to look at Kanji, who has regained his consciousness at the same time with his weakened Shadow.

"Heh…Ehehehe… Such a wonderful approach"

Shadow Kanji is chuckling to itself while looking at Yu, Yosuke, Teddie and Minato.

"I take it back… You four would make wonderful boyfriends…"

"W-What? N-No, no! I really don't swing that way!" said Yosuke.

"Ugh… Dammit, stop it…"

Kanji tries to reason with his Shadow, to no avail.

"I don't care who! Won't someone, anyone, please accept me?!"

"That's… Enough!"

As if trying to taunt his host again, Shadow Kanji continues its monologue.

"Accept me for who I am!"

"I said, cut the crap out!"

Kanji dashes at his own Shadow and throws a punch to its cheek, knocking it down.

"Tsk… Can't believe I had this thing inside me…" Kanji gritted his teeth.

Despite his reaction, it seems that Kanji is beginning to accept his darker self.

"I know… I've known all this time that I had something like you! It ain't a matter of guys or chicks… I'm just scared shitless of being rejected" said Kanji. "I'm a coward who tries to make everyone hate myself"

"Be brave, Kanji… We're right here with you…" Yu pats the grey-haired boy on his shoulder.

"You're right… I need to accept to myself…"

Kanji approaches his Shadow with a determined look.

"Get up. Anyone who looks like me ain't so weak they can't take a small punch"

Answering his order, Shadow Kanji gets up from the floor.

"You're me and I'm you, dammit… That isn't some major revelation, get it?"

The Shadow smiles at Kanji before it transform into something else. A bulky robotic figure with skeletal design which carries a large metal in the shape of a lightning bolt as its weapon. Just like what happened to Yukiko, Kanji immediately stumbles backward after he obtains his Persona.

"We'll have to get him out of here. Yosuke, help me" said Yu.

The two teenagers were about to help him up when Kanji denied their assistances.

"I'm fine… I can walk on my own…"

However, Kanji falls again when he tried to stand up on his own.

"Them helping you does not mean you're weak" said Hamuko. "So please drop the tough act, or I will give you reasons to accept their help"

Even though Hamuko was saying that with her usual smiling face, she still managed to intimidate Kanji who is almost twice her size.

"Y-Yes, Ma'am..."

"Geez, Hamuko-san is even scarier than my mom…" commented Yosuke.

"What was that?"

"Oh, uh… It's nothing. I'm just glad we managed to rescue Kanji in time"

Hamuko can't deny it. She's not comfortable with the fact that the culprit is still on the loose, but at the very least, they were able to prevent another victim's death. If her theory is correct, there shouldn't be any more incident for a while, not until someone else appears on the Midnight Channel. Which is a good thing, since Hamuko doubts she will recover her power anytime soon…

"Forgive me, Minato-kun…" Hamuko is looking at the blue-haired boy with a tenderly expression while gently holding his hand. "I'm sorry to be such a burden to you"

Minato merely shrugs his head as he proceeds to carry Hamuko in a bridal style. At first, Hamuko was rather surprised and embarrassed by the sudden gesture. Nevertheless, she began to resign herself to this fate as she starts to drift into a world of dream. It's not as if she hated it. In fact, she rather enjoyed it.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about Hamuko-san, now that she is well-tended" There was a playful tone in Yu's voice when he said those words. "Besides, she looks so peaceful…"

Indeed… To be cradled in the loving arms of her beloved Minato while she falls asleep… There's nothing more she desires than to have this moment last forever…

* * *

 _I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world._

 _\- Muhammad Ali_

* * *

 **A/N:**

I promised you all a new chapter within two weeks time, instead it took me nearly 5 weeks to finish this one up... I have nothing to say but my deepest apologies for making you all wait so long. It's been a tough month for me, but that still doesn't justify myself for breaking the promise. This chapter is significantly longer than the previous ones (more than 11 K words, excluding the A/N section). Please think of it as a small compensation for the long delay.

I just noticed that I never thanked you guys enough for your reviews. Thus, starting from this chapter, **I will personally address each and every one of your valuable opinions**. Please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts, because it will help me improve the quality of this story.

Field Medic: Thanks! I just hope I'll never have to get into such accident again. Glad you liked this story.

Synndraval: Yes, I was planning to include the story of P3 as flashbacks, based on Hamuko's POV (as parts of **_The Memoirs_ ** story). Would you prefer it if I write the P3 story as an entirely different chapter? Or would you rather have me create another fic solely for the sake of explaining the P3 events in a more elaborate way? Please let me know what you think in your review.

Nightly7: My bad, you changed your pen name even more frequently than my updates lol. The 'new villain' that you mentioned is actually none other than Sho himself. However, there WAS a new enemy during the P3 part. I'll leave it your imagination to figure that one out.

Daitalion: Sorry for those grammatical errors... I'll try my best to improve my English, but I still have much to learn. Those are some really interesting theories you got there! Unfortunately, I can neither confirm or deny it at this moment, to prevent spoiler... However, I can tell you that your theories are not far from the truth. I'd love to know more about how you arrived at that conclusion.

mocasiotorres27: I haven't thought about including Nihil weapons for the Investigation Team members to use. Gotta admit though, that is a good idea. Let's see if I can somehow get it to this story. To be honest, I'm not that familiar with the characters from earlier Persona games. Perhaps you can enlighten me on those two Wild Cards?

Rosalinda Lancaster Leonhart: Don't worry, he will. In fact, Yu will defeat one of the main antagonists in this fic by using a Fusion Spell.

silgain: Thank you! Looking forward for your next review!

Frankly Forgotten: Ah, I knew that someone will understand the reference. You are correct, Minato's ability is based on the Doppelganger style from Devil May Cry series. Good job on figuring it out!

Qamilla: Yup! Make no mistakes, the other girls (and boys) are awesome as well. However, I believe that Minato and Hamuko are the ones who truly deserve one another. Glad you enjoyed this story.

NewbieFanficter: Thanks! I hope I can write more scenes that will pique your interest.

BlueBragon: Ah yeah, sorry about that... Writing a scene in Minato's POV is actually a lot harder than the other two protagonists. Basically, Minato is having an internal conflict because his gentle and loving nature does not match the entity that resides within him (Death). I intend to highlight his character development based on this issue. Please look forward to future chapters in regard to this topic.

Stormy Cloudz: Yeah, it's really unfortunate because Minato x Hamuko (or Minako) is my favorite OTP. Thank you for following this story!

As usual, there are some things worth mentioning in this chapter, in case you were confused by my writing:

\- The name of Hamuko's Katana is **Umbra** , which translates as 'Shadow' in Latin. Umbra 2nd form attack was inspired by Mugetsu from the Bleach series, with several differences.

\- The creature that resides inside a chest after the team fought the Daring Gigas is none other than the **Reaper**. In P4G, the Reaper may appear on regular treasure chests during the first run of the game (while in the regular P4 version, the Reaper can only appear after you've beaten the game once, during the New Game+)

\- The Investigation Team **will encounter some members of the Shadow Operatives** at the next chapter.

\- **S** **ome events from P4G** like the Scooter License, Okina City Babe Hunt and Camping Trip will also be occurring at the next chapter. Of course, with some modifications for the sake of originality.

Please enjoy this chapter and look forward for the next one!


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